Project Wildfire
by Alice1985
Summary: Hermione, a renowned scientist and potions mistress, had been invited to the annual American Conference of Healer and Potioneer in Louisiana, before the world ended and the dead begun to walk. All alone and with no means of getting home, Hermione has to fight to survive, while trying to find a way to stop the walking dead. (Begins Pre-TWD)
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: I do not claim any rights on Harry Potter or The Walking Dead.

A/N: A special thanks to uoduck for taking the time to Beta read my story.

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

"Now to the Newsflash. In a small town in Venezuela, came reports about a middle-aged man who attacked the people around him. The suspect killed one person and injured four, before the police could stop him. The surviving victims are now being treated at the hospital for bite and scratch marks the attacker caused.

The police and paramedics, who had been on the scene, stated that the attacker had apparently been infected by rabies. Presumably caused by a rabies infected animal attack that the Suspect had previously obtained before his own attacks in the small town.

He is now in an isolated hospital ward and remains under police custody." _(teleSUR)_

* * *

"The number of rabies infected humans increases and begins to spread worldwide. There have been worldwide reports with the same symptoms. The law enforcement departments try to contain the threat by keeping them quarantined and in custody." _(MSNBC)_

* * *

"DID A NEW DARK WIZARD OR WITCH ARISE AND CURSED THE MUGGLES?

It has been five days since the global attack on Muggles has been reported and has been spread around the world. Muggles believe it to be an illness, a disease from a rabies animal attack which spreads to other Muggles. But the Magical Devision and Law Enforcement believe that the nature of this so called sickness is based on a dark curse, which resembles the Inferi Curse." _(The Magical Times)_

* * *

"Physician and scientist have no explanation. They advise not to get close to anyone, who bears these symptoms, and to call the police immediately." _(N24)_

* * *

"The same rabies like symptoms has been confirmed in many countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, South-America, Australia, and now, in the United States. It has been stated today, that the rabies attack has reached the major cities in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, and California. The World Health Organization still does not know what causes this infection, or how to cure them. The WHO has declared the current situation as a global outbreak, after seeing the high infection rate worldwide." _(FOX News Channel)_

* * *

"ATTACK IN THE MAGICAL VILLAGES EVERYWHERE! NO ONE KNOWS THE DARK CURSE!

Yesterday, the first reports of the same mysterious attacks have been reported in the Magical World. Villages in Louisiana, New York, California, Florida, Greece, Italy, India, China, South-Korea, Egypt, and Tunisia have been attacked by the same unknown curse. There is still no lead on the identity of the new Dark Wizard or Witch." (The Seer)

"More and more reports are made all over the world that tell of infected people attacking their victim. Witnesses tell of horrific cannibalistic behavior and of those who have been bitten or scratched by these infected people, begin to develop the same symptoms, shortly after. We still don't have an official statement of how the infection transfers or what causes these, might we say, inhuman behavior of the infected. Eyewitnesses from around the world, some of them who wish to remain anonymous, confirmed the rumors that the victim of the infected died and turned into these…things. _(Euronews)_

* * *

"UNKNOWN CURSE KILLS AND TURNS THOUSANDS OF MUGGLES, WIZARDS, AND WITCHES AROUND WORLD!

The Unspeakables around the world excluded the possibility of a modified Inferi Curse. They still don't know what causes this curse or who could have cast it." _(The Visionary)_

* * *

"Today, my wife and I were sitting on our rooftop terrace enjoying the weather and day, when we suddenly heard loud noises and shoutings. It came from our neighbor. They were in the garden and at first we thought they were fighting, but then we noticed that the wife of our neighbor was biting…eating her husband. She had been one of those infected. My wife called the police, who told us to stay put and not to approach them. We…stood there frozen on the rooftop and saw how my neighbors wife, killed her own husband and…ate him. There is no other way to explain what we saw. She was eating her husband!

"I couldn't tell how long it took until the police and ambulance arrived. Four police officers went into the garden of my neighbor and the infected woman turned, from her ripped up husband she's been eating, towards the police officers and rushed towards them. The police were shouting for her to stop moving, but she ignored it and then one of the officer's shot her in the chest. She didn't react at all. Like she wasn't feeling the bullets. Then they shot at her twice again, but she didn't stop, and then one other officer shot her in the head, and she went down. We thought this was finally over, but then suddenly her dead husband began to sit up. He was definitely dead. I am not crazy! His chest was ripped wide open and…he could have never survived this. It's not possible. But he stood up and moved towards the police officers. We could see the horror and disbelieve in their face, as they tried to stop the man, but he was just like his wife. Not listening and they shot him first in the open chest, but he kept moving! Just like his wife, as if the bullet didn't hurt him and then another officer shot him in the head.

My God… there was so much blood! I have never seen something like this before. These aren't just rabies-infected people. This is something much worse and the government is keeping this quiet." _(John K. Lewis from Italy on Facebook)_

* * *

"DEAD RISES! THE ZOMBIES ARE COMING!

The Infected aren't cursed or sick as many wishes to tell us this, but in truth have turned into terrible soulless beings who wants to eat us! Muggles call them Zombies! Shortly after someone gets infected, caused by a bite, or scratch of the Zombie, they die and turn into the same soulless Zombie monster. These Zombies attack every human being, no matter a witch or wizard and will try to eat them. The only way to stop them is by damaging the brain, which will succeed with a well aimed Reducto Spell, or any other spell that can damage the brain." _(The Quibbler)_

* * *

"Two days after the United Nations confirmed that these infection attacks have reached a global outbreak, the President of the United States declares that all air, ships, and train transportations to be cancelled effective immediately. Many countries in Europe have followed the example, as did several other countries in Asia. No incoming or out coming transportations are allowed. Ignoring this law, will lead to a forceful and offensive action, against the refugees. The United States of America doesn't permit foreigners into their country. They will be seen as a threat and therefor will be in their legal right to use any defensive methods, to ensure the protection of the States. Additionally, several military troops stationed in the Middle East, North, and East Africa are ordered to return back to the United States within the next forty-eight hours until further notice." _(ESPNEWS)_

* * *

"ALL INTERNATIONAL TRAVELING AROUND THE WORLD HAVE BEEN FORBIDDEN!

As of today, following the Muggle example, the Leaders in the Magical World came to a decision to shut down all international traveling means until further notice. The reason behind is that the International Traveling Departments around the world have unknowingly let infected witches and wizards to travel around the wizarding world, spreading the unknown curse in the magical villages and putting them in mortal danger." _(The Oracle)_

* * *

"Five days after the rabies outbreak, there is still no explanation or cure against the rabies infected victims. The number of infected has yet not been confirmed, but experts believe it to be in over thousands. The CDC, WHO, and other health and disease organizations, remain silent and aren't given any statement. Experts believe that even with the quarantining of the infected, the number of victims will increase in the upcoming days, if the health organizations doesn't act immediately and do something about this."_ (NEWS Channel)_

* * *

"THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC DECLARED THE STATE OF EMERGENCY! THE MAGICAL WORLD IS FALLING!

This morning, the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, declared the State of Emergency and ordered every magical citizen to find a safe location, to add strong wards, to stay home, secure your food supplies and wait for further instructions. If anyone does not have a safe location, the Ministry of Magic offers safe houses for those who cannot find somewhere secure to stay. The Wizarding Wireless Network announce from noon on today, further instructions, information, and locations of safe houses. Meanwhile, please remain calm, stay safe, and don't have any contacts with those Cursed ones." _(The Daily Prophet)_

* * *

"There have been reports and news from around the world that the dead are walking. Infected people, who were missing vital body parts, or had been shot countless times, were still moving and trying to infect people. People begin to call them Zombies." _(Al Jazeera)_

* * *

"MORE WIZARDING PLACES HAVE BEEN DECLARING THE STATE OF EMERGENCY AROUND THE WORLD

Three days after the sudden declaration of the State of Emergency by the British Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, several magical villages and towns around the world have followed the same example. Governor Lydia Zachary of North Dakota, USA said, 'We need to protect our people and think of the safety first. Therefore, we will completely close down the whole magical villages and towns in state of North Dakota.'" _(Wizarding Parchment)_

* * *

"Seven days after the outbreak, the CDC gave an official statement today. Dr. Candice Jenner, Director of the Atlanta CDC facility, states that the rabies attacks are not something they have seen before. Scientists are working relentless on a cure.

(Dr. Jenner:) 'We ask everyone to remain calm and to stay caution. Please avoid any contact with the infected people. The infection spreads through the bites, scratch marks, and possible fluid exchange. Please note that the infected people do not have the ability to communicate or have perception capability. They are highly dangerous and any contact needs to be treated with extreme caution.'"_ (BBC News)_

* * *

"There have been more reports of people, who had been declared dead, only to have been returned alive and attacking others. Witnesses of one such instance reported that a police officer shot the Infected multiple times in the chest and yet appeared to be unaffected at the injuries. They kept walking and attacking people, or even eating the victims or the corpses. Only a shot at the head could stop the infected and killed them." _(CCTV News)_

* * *

"As of today, twelve days after the outbreak, the President of the United States of America call upon the Martial Law, for the United States of America, following the example that many European and Asian countries did. The Army stated that they are confident they can control the outbreak within the next few days. Additionally, they offer protection, support and help at the refuge camps located at the major cities. We ask our viewers to stay caution. Remain calm and to stay safe." _(CNN International)_

* * *

"The situation in the Muggle world gets worse. The attacks have increased and it appears that the governments have begun to lose control of the situation. We advise everyone to keep away from larger cities, stay in wide-open areas, and keep your wand on yourself at all times. Use any protection spells and concealing charms you know. Silencing charm will help as well, since those creatures react to sounds immediately. In a moment, we will give you a list of useful spells and charms to help you protect yourself, friends, and family.

But now, we bring some bad news. Johann Nebel, reported that the small town in magical Dresden in Germany, called 'Feental', has been completely taken over. No living wizard or witch had been spotted, or heard of in three days. Due to this devastating news and of the great loss to the magical world, we advise everyone not to seek any attempt for a rescue party. Please stay safe and in your homes, behind the wards. _(Wizarding Wireless Network)_

* * *

"WTF PPL? This ain't rabies sick people. They are motherfucking #DeadRisingZombies! This' the damn #ZombieApocalypse &amp; we're all so FUCKED!" _(JJFrey on Twitter)_


	2. Chapter 1 - Calm Before The Storm

DISCLAIMER: I do not claim any rights on Harry Potter or The Walking Dead.

A/N: I want to thank everyone who put this story on their favorite or alert list, as well as, those who took the time to leave a review behind. Thank you very much! Additionally, I want to give a special thanks to uoduck, who took the time to Beta read my story.

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Calm Before The Storm**

* * *

**13****th**** May 2011, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

"Hermione Granger! How lovely to see you again. It's been far too long." An elderly man with snow-white hair and kind blue eyes greeted her zealously. Hermione smiled politely in return, as he gently took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"Master Larson, it's a pleasure to see you again. I did not expect you to be at this American Conference of Healer and Potioneer in Louisiana. I thought you were in Cairo," Hermione welcomed him, surprised.

"How could I not come, my dear child? Upon hearing that you would make an appearance in Louisiana, I simply had to come and see you. You know how much I enjoy your work," Master Edward Larson admitted kindly. "Master Edward Larson was a well-known Potioneer in the field. And my dear, your presentation was just marvelous, especially about your new procedure for the potion treatment of Scrofungulus illness. It was just spectacular."

Hermione blushed at his praise and thanked him deeply. She had known Potions Master Larson for several years by now. Both had become good friends over the years and had held consultations with each other regarding several potion theories and experiments.

"Thank you Master Larson. It means a lot coming from you."

"How did you come to this conclusion of the treatment, my dear? I must say, I have been more than impressed with your approach and in my many years as Potioneer I have to admit that I never thought to treat this illness with four-step potion treatment."

Hermione smiled at the compliment. "You know how much I enjoy approaching an illness, curse or poison by extracting the key factor, the virus and in this case the Magical Bug of the Scrofungulus. By understanding this bug and the way it thinks by observing its behavior and triggers, I was able to understand why it first infected the neck region and how it spreads from there. Therefore, the previous treatment of Scrofungulus, even though it did heal the patient in time, was not effective enough. As you know, Master Larson, the usual treatments with a potion or surgical spell still has many risks and side effects for the patients. This side effects usually results in facial nerve damage, scarring and even magical damage in extreme cases.

Anyway, the Scrofula Bug feeds on the thyroid glands and from there it spreads into the lung system and further into the body.

In order to stop this bug from feeding and spreading in the body, the first potion weakens the Scrofula Bug, the second therefor protects the thyroid glands. This will prevent further swellings and the spreading of the disease and damage to the patient. The third potion, the most aggressive of the four will destroy the bug and dissolve it and the fourth potion will cleanse and strengthen the body system."

"Marvelous! Just marvelous, my dear! I assume you took the approach from the muggle medical field?" Master Larson asked, before he took a sip from his drink.

"A little bit." Hermione smiled. "I took the approach of the virus and cross referenced it with the muggle disease, known as Tuberculous Cervical Lymphadenitis, which has similar characteristics. It helped to understand the Scrofula Bug better."

The Potion Master laughed with delight, "You, my dear are quite the cunning girl. Pity, that the Slytherin house is so prejudiced towards Muggleborn, because you would have been a fine Slytherin."

Hermione snorted with unladylike with humor at the thought and took a sip of her own drink.

"Mistress Granger?" a middle aged Afro-American woman with long, dark brown, soft curls and warm, honey brown eyes, addressed Hermione with a small smile.

"Nice to finally meet you in person, Mistress Granger." She offered her hand, which Hermione shook gently. "I'm Healer Ellenore DuBuagh and I represent the Lafayette General Hospital here in Louisiana. May I tell your that you're Corrigo Viscus potion treatment for internal tissue repairing and recreating internal organs due to exposure to the dark magic, has done wonders to many patients. At least, it works with patients who suffer due to exposure to dark magic."

Hermione smiled. "Thank you and it's nice to meet you, Healer DuBuagh. Please, let me introduce you to my mentor and good friend, Potions Master Larson. He took me under his wing when I studied for my Potion Mistress degree."

Healer DuBuagh's eyes widened at the mention of his name. Master Larson took the still stunned Healers hand and kissed it gently, giving her one of his charming smiles. "A pleasure to meet you, my dear."

Hermione couldn't hide her amusement at Master Larson antics and rolled her eyes. He had always been a charmer and a firm believer in being a gentleman with his suave manners.

"Master Larson, it's an honor to meet you," the Healer gushed breathlessly. "I have admired your work for years and your participation on the Lupin Cure was just inspiring."

"Ah, my dear, this is all Mistress Granger's hard work. All I did was review and confirm her theory and calculation."

"Don't be modest, Master Larson. You have more than just confirmed my theories. Your help in my research was essential to the success. Without you, the cure would probably have taken me probably several years to be discovered," Hermione told them both in honesty.

"I am still astonished when I hear about the Lupin Cure, Mistress Granger. Since the distribution in our hospital eight months ago, we have treated 143 patients with Lyncrathropy within the last three months. Our American Healer Organization released the previous week that we have cured thousands of this curse in the whole United States within four months. I heard that the International Magical Healer Conference in Geneva plans to reveal the success of this cure at their conference next month. Apparently they have confirmed that more than ninety percent of the infected have been cured worldwide. Only those who do prefer being a werewolf won't take the cure."

"As long as they don't force or attack others and curse them to become werewolves, I don't see a problem with it. If they do enjoy what they become each month and are not a threat to others, that's alright I guess. It's their free will to choose how they wish to live," Hermione said, to which the others nodded in agreement.

Soon, all three fell into another deep discussion in the regards of potions and healing methods and treatment before they were joined by other Healers of the Magical Healer Union.

Hours later, Master Larson walked Hermione towards her Muggle Hotel in New Orleans.

"I'm really happy that you came, Master Larson." Hermione smiled at her former mentor and friend.

"It was an honor, my dear. Never have I met anyone like you and it's a privilege to have forged and formed that brain of yours." He suddenly laughed and asked, "Do you remember the first months of your mastery?"

"Oh, Merlin. It was a disaster!" Hermione smiled and shook her head at the memory. "It took me ages to think further beyond potion descriptions and instructions. I struggled so hard to think outside the box. My former Potions teacher, Professor Snape always said that I didn't have it in me to think further than the book instructed. He was quite surprised and actually happy for me, when he heard of my final degree. His portrait even talked to me for hours. We still talk whenever I visit Hogwarts." Hermione's smile turned bittersweet at the memory of her former potions teacher.

"Ah, Severus Snape. Such a talented Potioneer. He was a true protégé in this field. He had a rare instinct for potion ingredients and their component. I did enjoy mentoring him to become the youngest Potions Master in three centuries." He sighed tiredly. "It's such a tragedy of what became of Severus. He sacrificed a lot throughout both wars."

"I can understand now, how someone like Professor Snape turned out the way he was. I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been not having a choice about his own career. I think it was hard for him to teach a bunch of 'dunderheads' as he enjoyed calling us every time," Hermione confessed.

The thought of Severus Snape had crossed her mind several times since she became a Potions Mistress. She begun to understand him better and how far his sacrifice did go. Hermione even began to enjoy his dark humor that came with plenty of sarcasm, which amused her to no end.

"For this alone he should have received a medal for extraordinary achievements. By Merlin, I couldn't have done what Severus did. I would have gone crazy."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Well, my dear. I will leave you for the night."

"Thank you again for coming, Master Larson. I truly enjoyed your company today," Hermione said with a smile.

"The pleasure is all mine," he said and took her hand, giving it a chaste kiss.

"Always the charmer, Master Larson. I begin to understand why you keep appearing on the annual list of the Most Charming Wizards."

He chuckled before he winked brashly at her. "A true wizard, no matter the age, always knows how to treat a woman. Now, my dear, I have to say goodbye for now. I will return home in the morning. I look forward to seeing you at the Geneva Conference and you are always welcome to visit me in Zurich."

"I will see if I can arrange to visit you a few days before the actual Conference."

"You do that, my dear. Have a wonderful night, Mistress Granger."

"You too, Master Larson." Hermione smiled as the older wizard walked upon a dark alley to safely apparated away.

Hermione couldn't help but smile at the pleasant event she had. As she walked up to the elevator that would take her to the floor of her room, her thoughts drifted towards her past and how much her life had changed since the end of the wizarding war, almost thirteen years ago.

Never would she have thought that she would be the person she was now and with a soft smile she opened her hotel room.

So much had changed in the thirteen years and it began with the Battle of Hogwarts. The battle had taken so many lives during the attack and even many perished after the war in the coming days and weeks. Hermione still recalled her own disbelief at the healers that had arrived at Hogwarts and couldn't help the survivors, whether because they either didn't know how to handle such dark curses, repair and heal complicated internal injuries or treat difficult poisons. Order Members and children died because of those things and Hermione realized that Professor Snape wouldn't have survived his own poisonous attack by Nagini even if she had done something. In the end, he would have died in a painful way.

Hermione had researched and looked randomly about specific treatments and she had been aghast at the discovery that either there was no treatment or there were with poor results. Finding out the truth about the medical situation of the magical world, made Hermione decide to do something about it. She wanted to help people, by becoming a Potions Mistress for the healing area. But in order to improve this field, Hermione came to the realization that she had to study in the Muggle World. She knew from her parents, how far the pharmaceutic medical field had been improved and kept progressing in the years. The wizarding world, on the other hand, rarely improved and developed a cure for the more urgent aspects in healing of curses, diseases or poison.

Hermione planned to attend a muggle university, as soon as she finished her NEWT's.

Upon hearing of her plans, Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Minister of Magic, offered his help to create the necessary documentations to help her attend the University of her choosing. But she refused. She needed to do this the right way and deep down Hermione knew that she was doing this for her parents as well. It had made her feel closer to them.

Hermione could never restore the memories of her parents after she had erased them, just before she went into hiding with Harry and Ron. Even experts in the field of Mind Healing confirmed to Hermione that it was impossible to return her parent's memories. Hermione had never thought that she would get the opportunity to return the memories of her parents since the day she obliviated them. She never expected to survive the war, in the first place. She had been plagued with guilt and shame for a long time afterwards, but with the help of her friends they helped her move forward. Harry even suggested placing a monitoring charm on them, that way Hermione could watch over them and would know how they fared. Hermione accepted the offer and wore a green wristband on her left wrist that would tell her of the condition of her parents.

Hogwarts had been opened a few months after the battle, with the help of magical people from all over the world. Even Goblins and House Elves came to their aid. Together they had improved and strengthened the wards and the guardian statues of the castle by repairing them and correcting their weaknesses. Now with the improvements through spells and charms, the guardian statues were now able to put themselves together, withstand certain spells and could move faster than before.

Due to the damage of the Forbidden Forest and deaths of many creatures, the Centaurs asked the new Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, to be included into the wards, which had surprised many witches and wizards. Headmistress McGonagall understood and included the Forbidden Forest within the Hogwarts ward system.

Special warding stone series had been created by the best warding craftsman from around the world, aided by the Goblins. Each one of them had been accurately placed and buried on the grounds with the Hogwarts ancient ward stone as a center. The warded area enclosed now the Forbidden Forest, Quidditch Pitch and a great part of the Lake. Additionally, the new wards made it possible to defend themselves from within the activated wards, which hadn't been possible during the battle and had been a lost opportunity as well as costing many lives.

Even with the restored and improved Hogwarts security, Harry and Ron didn't return for their last year and instead took the offer of the Minister by accepting their free NEWT's pass and started their Auror Training.

Shortly after the war, Hermione had started a relationship with Ron, but a few months later, she realized that they were just too different. The more time she spent in Hogwarts and away from Ron, the more she saw his flaws and felt that she wasn't happy with him. They didn't share the same interests, nor did he show any true curiosity, or interest in Hermione's future plans, or her life. Instead it was the complete opposite and Ron kept trying to make her disregard her plans. This had been the turning point for Hermione. Seeing that she was literally dooming herself into a life to be content by not pursuing her dreams, made her end the five months relationship. It took some time for Ron to accept it and be her friend again, but it did happen.

After achieving straight O's on her NEWT's, Hermione applied for the SAT exams in the next months and received one of the highest SAT scores. With the help of McGonagall and Shacklebolt, who pulled some strings with the American Ministry of Magic, Hermione got accepted at MIT, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Her time there had been heavenly for Hermione and with a lot of hard work she achieved after four her Ph.D. in Toxicology and Molecular Biology and specialized in Genetic Engineering. Everyone had been so proud of her.

After her Graduation, Hermione returned to Britain and began her Master degree in Potions under Master Henrik Larson, an elderly very and well known Potions Master and Mentor, who had even taught Professor Snape in Potions.

In two years, Hermione became a Potions Mistress, which would have usually have taken at least four to five years, but her vast knowledge and better understanding of the potion ingredients, as well as diseases, and poisons, were thanks to her Muggle education. She passed her Mastery exam sooner and with a perfect score.

Not wanting to leave her Muggle education behind, Hermione soon began to work at the WHO in England, while working on developing various new potions. In less than three years, Hermione became known in the Muggle world through her advance research and discoveries in Genealogy, as well as breakthrough in the treatment of Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology, and a new approach of an Oral Antidote approach.

This made her soon one of the leading figures in the Toxicology field. Shortly after, the CDC invited Hermione as an advisor in the organization. Occasionally, Hermione would give short lectures and seminars about her own research or train them to understand various levels of procedures.

Putting these two types of educational background, the muggle and wizarding degrees, helped Hermione find cures, and effective potions for developing antidotes for the wizarding world, as well as for the muggle world.

And thanks to her non-magical degree and understanding in Molecular Biology and Toxins, as well as an understanding of the Wolfsbane Potion, Hermione developed a cure for Lycanthropy in 2010. She called it the Lupin Cure, dedicating it to her former professor and friend Remus Lupin.

Hermione had been working on the Lupin Cure for almost seven years, beginning during her time in MIT, where she began to research and theorize genetic mutation and deformation, before she started to work on a cure first on theory. After she received her Mastery in Potions and begun to work for the WHO, Hermione had started to effectively work on a potion in her free time up until she took several weeks off to finish the Lupin Cure.

Six months after finalizing the potion, the Lupin Cure had been available to the wizarding world and the curse had been permanently broken.

Eight months later, there were almost no werewolves around anymore. The Ministry of Magic and other ruling Magical heads came to a decision to administrate this cure for free in the hospital because of the complicated stages of potion steps that had to be given at a precise time.

Hermione still remembered the emotional astonished faces of her friends. Especially Harry and Teddy. At that time the twelve-year-old Metamorphmagus boy, Edward "Teddy" Lupin, who knew about his father's condition, understood the ramifications of this potion and what it meant for people like his father. Both had been stunned at the revelation of the cure and had hugged her fiercely and even cried with relief. It had been an emotional day for everyone.

Even before finalizing the Lupin Cure, Hermione continued to work and create several magical disease treatments, new potion therapies and wrote articles on certain potions.

In the Muggle world, Hermione worked on several projects and gave seminars, which helped create better medical drugs for diseases and develop treatments for certain toxins and congenital deformity and dysgenesis.

Her thoughts on her past were interrupted by a phone call at the desk.

"Hello?" Hermione answered.

"Hey Hermione!"

"Harry! Isn't it a bit late to be still up?" Hermione smiled, the moment she heard his voice.

"No, I'm good. How is Louisiana, Hermione?"

"Hot and humid. How are things in London?"

"Warm and wet." Harry paused before he started to laugh hard. "Sorry, that came out completely wrong!"

Hermione joined in the laugher. "Someone needs to get some loving."

"If someone needs 'some loving' it would be you, Hermione. How long has it been since you dated? Three years?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry's teasing voice. "I have been busy Harry and really don't have the time to date. How long has it been for you, Mister Potter? Two years?"

"Yeah, yeah…topic change," Harry droned annoyed. Hermione only laughed harder at Harry.

"How long will you be in the States, Hermione?" Harry suddenly asked. His voice dropped and became more serious.

Hermione frowned and knew that something wasn't right. "Another eight days. I will stay two more days in Louisiana and then go to New York for three more days before I go to Boston for additionally three days."

"That's great," Harry said tightly. That made Hermione only frown harder.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Hermione."

"Don't nothing me, Harry. I have known you since I was eleven, which makes it nineteen years now and I know when something is bothering you. So spill it, mister!"

"Bloody Hell, nineteen years. Damn Hermione, we are getting old."

"Speak for yourself, Harry!" Hermione chided, not hiding her amusement. "Now, what's bothering you?"

Harry sighed deeply before he asked. "Have you seen the news lately? There have been more of those rabies infected people around who attack and bite people. They have also been seen in Louisiana."

Hermione frowned at the information. "No, I haven't heard of anything like that. Also, no one had called me from the WHO or CDC about these incidents. If it were some sort of outbreak, I am sure that they would have called me in. The media is only exaggerating these incidents."

"Still, Hermione. I am worried. Promise me that you will come back if something happens there. I have a really bad feeling about this," Harry said urgently.

"I will, Harry. Promise. I'll will try to get in touch with a friend of mine from WHO and ask him what's going on. He should have an answer."

"Okay good." Harry sighed and Hermione changed the topic and asked about Teddy, who recently turned thirteen and how he liked his second year at Hogwarts. She could almost see Harry's smile as he began to tell her of Teddy's latest news and how happy he was at Hogwarts.

Harry and Hermione talked for another half another before they ended the call.

Lying in bed, Hermione couldn't shake Harry's words off. She knew Harry and he had never been wrong about his gut feeling, which was a reason he was such a good Head Auror.

Harry's word lingered like a haunting whisper in the air

_I really have a bad feeling about this. _

And he had always been right.

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A/N: This is just a filler, to give you an idea and inside on the life of Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Co., before the outbreaks reached their peak. So, the next chapter will have plenty of action and will be longer than this one. Hope you like it.

Alice1985


	3. Chapter 2 - Day One (Part 1)

DISCLAIMER: I do not claim any rights on Harry Potter or The Walking Dead.

A/N: A great thanks goes to uoduck, who took the time to beta read my story. Thank you so much! I also wanted to thank all of you who took the time to leave a review, put this story on their favorite or alert list. Thank you so much!

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**Chapter 2 - Day One (Part 1)**

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**14****th**** May 2011, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

The next morning, Hermione took a small breakfast in her room before she packed her belongings into her leather traveling backpack, which had an undetectable extension charm on it, and checked out. She apparated from a small alley in Lafayette to the French Quarter in New Orleans, which she visited frequently from time to time. Hermione walked down Bourbon Street towards an ordinary small pub. The Mystique Alley, like Diagon Alley, was accessible through a magical wall and unseen by all Muggles.

Hermione tensed as she walked through Mystique Alley. The eery feeling in the air made her shiver and sent her pulse racing. The usual lively town was filled with a tense atmosphere.

Hermione's hand tightened on her wand as she made her way to St. Bourbon Hospital. She had an appointment with the Potions Department to give a lecture on several potions procedure and general subject.

The day passed fast and swiftly, as she was introduced to ten other potions master's, mistresses' and apprentices' before she gave her three hours lecture in the Seminar Hall. A few minutes after she ended her lecture, Hermione was given a tour in the Potions Department by the Head of the department. A few listeners, who had their free day had only came for the lecture and had left soon after. Hermione enjoyed herself until an emergency call came in, taking the form of an eagle Patronus.

"Master Marsais, we need all the fever, pain and Pepper-Up Potions you've got and if you have time please come to the Emergency Medical Department."

"That's very unusual," Master Marsais said, frowning deeply. "I apologize, ma chére, it seems I am needed downstairs. Would you be alright if my assistant Master Peltier continued to show you around?"

"Yes, of course, that won't be a problem."

Master Marsais called upon his assistant and both, the assistant and Hermione continued the tour, explaining the recent additions, improvement and future treatment policies for the patients. Even though Hermione paid attention her mind, drifted towards the Patronus. The bad feeling that she had developed, when the Patronus came, never disappeared, if only growing worse.

Just as they were finished with the tour, Master Marsais rushed back into the department, completely shaken, with an injured hand and arm and bleeding profusely. Everyone rushed towards him. Shock and confusion broke out in the whole department.

"What happened, Master Marsais?" asked a female potioneer while she and another potions master helped and tended to his wounds as Master Marsais began to cast a healing spell over his arm. They watched as the wound sealed itself before the other potions master applied a healing salve over the new skin tissue.

"The- The Emergency Medical Department is filled with injured people. All of them have been bitten or injured in a similar way. Mon Dieu, two of them keep trying to attack the people. They have gone mad, trying to bite…And some are even eating people! Merde!" He pointed towards his now bandaged arm. "That's how I and three other healers have gotten these injuries. The Aurors have been called and are trying to contain them with body binds, but it's barely working. They are absolutely not responsive. Another died from his injuries just before I came here."

"Did the healer find out what it was? What caused them to attack?" asked Hermione worriedly as her mind drifted to the conversation she had with Harry just last night.

"No! No one knows what it could be. Those who are still responsive have high fever and are in pain. But those who went crazy, and are attacking people-" He shook his head, taking a deep breath and continued with a heavier french accent, "Healing spells didn't work. Every diagnostic scans kept showing that they were dead. No heartbeat but a small level of brain activity, which should be impossible."

Everyone stared at the Potion Master, speechless.

"How is that possible?" someone asked before more voiced their thoughts out.

"Is it a curse?"

"Are they Inferi?"

"Je ne sais pas! I don't know! I have seen nothing like this," Master Marsais finally admitted in a shaky voice. "The eyes, were clouded, milky white and their pupils dilated. The wounds on them didn't bleed anymore and- and it looked like a dark brown almost black substance leaking from the wounds. And they kept biting. Mon Morgana, they kept snapping, snarling and biting."

"Did you or anyone try to draw blood or get some samples?" Hermione asked in a controlled voice, trying to get as much information as possible in order to assess the situation. She had never had she heard of something like this.

"No, no we couldn't. Anytime we tried they either scratched or bit the healers and myself," he said and looked at Hermione pleadingly. "Mistress Granger, I know you are just a guest here, but I and this whole hospital would be grateful and in your depth if you could investigate this matter. In all my years, have I never seen something like this. It must be the vilest form of dark magic or magical disease someone created."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, of course. I will see where I can help."

"Master Peltier, please escort and assist Mistress Granger in her work," Master Marsais asked to which Peltier stood up and gestured Hermione to follow him towards the elevator.

Hermione glanced at the nervous tall man, who looked to be in his mid twenties while clutching her wand tightly. She took a deep breath getting herself calm and collected, pushing the growing fear inside her away, before she said, "Please hold your wand, Master Peltier. I have a feeling, we will need it soon."

The assistant only nodded and followed her advice. Both walked silently into the elevator and went into the Emergency Medical Department that had been on the ground floor. They were met with complete chaos. There were at least ten injured people, who had been treated by healers.

A healer rushed towards them. "Thank Merlin, you came. It's a nightmare. Another died from his injuries, which makes it now five dead people within the last two hours alone. Please follow me." She too the lead and walked down the corridor.

"Even with all the healing spells and potions they still keep dying from their injuries and we don't know why. Or we believe they were dead. It could be a magical sleep that showed the person to be dead, like several poison-"

"What do you mean, they appeared to be dead?" Hermione asked, astonished at her words.

"I mean that, those we healed still kept the same symptoms of unusual high fever. It was like they were burning from the inside out. The fever was followed by pain and in the last state, patients became delusional before all body functions, the heart, blood circulation and brain activity was gone in the patient. We couldn't read anything. They were dead. But then after a few minutes or in one case, two hours, we still don't know why the time difference, after we declared the patients dead, he or she would simply wake up. But they were unresponsive and showed extreme aggressive behavior by attacking people, physically. They… we isolated those who have reached this stage. However, before we realized that the patients showed these symptoms, falling into a coma that made the patient look like he or she was dead, we had discharged them.

After we came to the realization of how severe these injuries were, we stopped releasing anyone, who had been bitten or otherwise injured by those…We don't know what to do anymore."

"How many did you discharge?" Hermione asked, assessing the situation around her, while they walked towards the back of the room. The Emergency Medical Department was getting crowded by patients and their families, who were beginning to get upset and worried.

"Seven so far, eight others have been healed and twenty-six are currently being treated."

"Did all of them get injured here? From those patients?" Hermione asked while following the healer.

"No. From what we've found out, some of them got injured here in the town, at the market and others in the muggle world. People were just attacking them."

Recalling the conversation Hermione had with Harry and now hearing that people had been injured in the muggle world, she asked, "Rumors have been circulated in the muggle world about an outbreak. That those infected have a rabies-like behavior that causes them to start attacking other people."

"I've heard about those as well, and we did test them on any muggle disease but all results came out empty. Whatever this is, it's not a rabies infection." She halted at the door and looked at Hermione. "I'm sorry. I didn't ask your name."

"Thats alright," Hermione brushed it off gently. "I'm Hermione Granger, Potions Mistress. I had been invited by Master Marsais to give a lecture."

Recognition lit her eyes. "A pleasure to meet you, I had hoped we would meet under better circumstances. I'm Healer Anne Carrier, Healer and Head of the Department for Creature Induced Injuries and Magical Diseases." Hermione gave her a small smile before Healer Carrier turned towards the door. "Please take your wands out," she said towards Master Peltier.

Just as they were to enter the room, Hermione asked Healer Carrier, "How many have died and… turned from these wounds?"

"Those we have healed and have kept here? All of them," she said uneasily, mirroring Hermione's own feelings at the news. She turned towards the door, opened it slowly. "It's me, Healer Carrier," she said before she walked into the room.

The first thing Hermione noticed as she walked in, were the inhuman noises, which sounded like an inhuman moan and growl, followed by a horrible stench, that smelled like decay.

But what stopped Hermione in her tracks was the sight before her. The man, probably in his mid thirties had a deep and open bite wound on his neck. She could see the neck backbones from the distance. The wound oozed a dark brown almost black substance out. The patient, was sitting in a chair and kept in a body bind. Even though he was completely bound to the chair, he kept snapping his teeth at them. The man was growling and screeching at them in a blood freezing sound that would haunt Hermione for endless nights.

The first logical thought Hermione had, after snapping herself out of her own shock and fear, was that this shouldn't be possible. He couldn't be alive anymore.

Hermione looked at Healer Carrier, at a loss for words.

"We separated these two from the other patients after they woke up." She pointed at the patient on the chair. "He died immediately after being attacked here by another of those Infected and we were too late to heal his wounds completely. Half an hour later he woke up again and attacked another person. There are several others in this state as well. We put them in different rooms that are guarded by Aurors until we know what to do. We didn't want to risk panic among the other patients or put them in danger. Therefore we separated those who reached this state."

That's when Hermione noticed the other patient in the corner, completely bound and gagged on the bed and still trying to free himself. She noticed that the restraints had been provided by the magical bed from the hospital. Usually, they would be used to contain a patient if he was heavily injured or had been the victim of a cruse that affected their mind that would make him hurt himself or others.

Hermione noticed then that both Aurors had positioned themselves close to both patients, respectively. They were ready to interfere if needed. The Auror closest to the bounded patient on the chair had dirty blond hair and the one further away and opposite him, standing closer to Hermione and Master Peltier had dark brown hair. Both were around the same age, around their thirties, and they were both looking worried and tense at the restrained patients.

"The one on the bed had attacked Master Marsais during his examination," Healer Carrier explained, gesturing towards both men. "Both Aurors contained the situation and bound him to the bed."

Hermione nodded and looked towards the dark haired Auror, who stood closer to her. "Did you both perform any dark magic detections spells on the patients?"

"Yes, we did ma'am, but nothing came out. They aren't under any Imerperius, Inferi or any other dark curse we know. We-," he broke off, and looked at his partner for a moment unsurely.

"What is it?" Hermione asked as both Aurors kept silent. "Please. We need to know what you have found out, no matter how small or absurd it sounds."

The same Auror continued, "We couldn't detect any magic, ma'am. There was no magic in them. No spell, no inner core, nothin'." He gulped audibly and added, "It's like, they're muggles or…dead."

Hermione, Healer Carrier and Master Peltier paled at the news. Without saying anything, Healer Carrier cast a few well placed and complicated spells over the patient and all of them turned either black or with no results at all. No one needed to say anything, as they all could figure out what this meant. These patients…those things were dead. Or should have been dead.

"Healer Carrier," Hermione began with a shaken voice. "Could there be any magical creature trace or essence? Maybe it could be from any type of creature? Be it dark or experimental?"

Without another word, Healer Carrier cast a series of spells, which had either no effect or gave a black hue. She looked at Hermione and said, "There… No, nothing. There isn't a trace of magical creature induced poison. I…I could take some blood and test it further, but I…I don't think that the results would be different. There is no magic or trace of it. Usually, a magical creature's inflicted wound would-would have left magic, traces or even the essence behind…but there is nothing."

Hermione was speechless at the discovery and before she could ask more, a blood curling scream echoed outside the door, followed by panicked shouts and screams. Hermione turned around and raised her wand at the still closed door. She noticed from the corner of her eyes that the dark haired Auror followed her suit and took a few steps closer to her.

Just as they could reach the door, another scream far closer made them turn around. Hermione froze at the sight before her. Master Peltier and Healer Carrier stumbled away in shock, watching with horror as the bound patient bit into the arm of the blond Auror, ripping with only his teeth, while his whole body had been bound. A chunk of flesh fell out from the Auror's arm and the patient on the bed started to chew and eat the flesh swiftly. The moment the thing's mouth let go of his arm, the Auror fell away, clutching his bleeding arm to his chest, crying in pain. The spell that bound the thing that had been once a patient, disappeared and it stood up immediately. It opened his bloodied mouth, showing the chunks of flesh, while screeching at them before he began to rush forward towards Hermione.

In that moment, she felt as if she was back on the battleground at Hogwarts, where fear had almost numbed her. It had been Harry who had seen the emotion in her eyes and pushed her out of it and now she could hear the same voice, 'You can do it Hermione. I don't know anyone who is smarter or more brave than you. Fight, Hermione! You can do this. Fight!'

With a fluent move she shouted, "_Stupefy!_"

Two red lights, one other silently cast by the dark haired Auror, hit the patient, throwing him with full force against the wall. The sound of a bone breaking could be heard through the room, but that didn't stop him. Nor was he unconscious.

Screams and shouts could still be heard from outside the room. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest and she still kept her shaken wand raised at the patient, as did the Auror. At a closer look, she could see the same naked fear she felt, in his eyes, even though he was trying to appear strong and brave.

The patient was moving, trying to get up, even with his clearly broken arm and leg. The arm had been fractured in several places and the bone on his shinbone, the Tibia, had been broken in two parts and poked out of the skin. The injuries didn't matter to the thing as it still put weight on the injured foot, dragging it on the floor and creating a dark brown blood trail along the way.

The Auror cast a quick body bind on him, which caused the patient to fall on the ground, snarling and snapping at them.

Meanwhile, Healer Carrier and Master Peltier had been attending the blond Auror's injury.

"Healer Carrier," Hermione called out, not taking her eyes off of the patient and it became harder to see him as such. The more she watched this creature….this thing, the more she was convinced that the patient was no longer a human or a sentient being. Hermione shuddered and turned to look at the other healer in the room, coming to a conclusion. "You have concluded that the patient isn't alive, nor has he been the victim of any magical creature, correct?"

"Yes, Mistress Granger," her shaken voice came out.

"Auror…" Hermione looked at him, not knowing his name.

"Michael Lincoln, ma'am," he responded, giving her a tight nod.

"Auror Lincoln, do you confirm that the patient is not under and dark spells, magic or curses, nor have you detected any magical signature?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Nor, have I. This…" Hermione assessed the being, covered in blood with a broken body and obviously not feeling any pain. "This thing is a threat to the people and community, which gives us the right to immediately terminate this creature or person, am I right?"

"Yes, ma'am," the Auror answered, as his eyes lit up with understanding.

"You can't do that!" Healer Carrier exclaimed in dismay as she came to the same conclusion. "We took an oath to heal and help every patient. We don't kill them."

"These things," Hermione started, pointing towards the one on the ground and the other on the bed, "aren't alive! They aren't human anymore! Just look at them! It shouldn't be possible for any living being to be still moving around, let alone be alive. Having an open wound where you can clearly see the cervical spine, muscle and veins with no blood flow, should be explanation enough. No one could have survived this type of injuries. He has broken fractures on his left arm and an open one on his leg and that thing is completely unfazed by it. How can he be still alive if he isn't bleeding from his new wound? Only someone, anything that is dead, doesn't have a blood system, circulation in the body. You know this, Healer Carrier."

Hermione took a calming breath and continued in a hard voice, "I haven't seen anything like this either, but I know that these things are dangerous and we cannot risk further infections or threats to the people around here. Do you hear the screams and shouts outside? I can guarantee you that this is the cause of it and we need to solve this situation here before we can help the others out there. Those people need us and we need to provide a solution and from what we know is that the bites from these things are infectious and mortal, correct?"

"Yes," Healer Carried said with a shaky voice. She turned to look at the Auror, whom she was treating.

"We will try to help you, Auror…," Hermione said.

"Orlov, Ivan Orlov," he said before he moaned in pain. Healer Carrier began to cast several healing charms with Master Peltier, who was assisting her. Master Peltier hadn't said anything in a long time, still in shock. Healer Carrier looked at Hermione for a moment and nodded in silence.

Hermione turned towards the Auror, feeling nervous. "Auror Lincoln, should I, or do you…?"

"I will do it, Mistress Granger."

Hermione nodded and waited for the Auror to cast the spell that would end his life. With a swift movement, and in a cold voice the Auror cast the Unforgivable, "_Avada Kedavra!" _

A green light hit the chest of the thing on the ground. Hermione knew that the American's had a different stand on the Unforgivable's and in a dire situation the Aurors were entitled to use those dark spells to defend or protect themselves or the people around them. Even prepared, it still sent a cold shiver down her spine. Seeing the familiar green light brought back bad memories, which she pushed away.

The thing on the ground stopped moving and for a moment Hermione sighed in relief for a moment. Then the familiar moan echoed in the room again. Hermione's eyes widened in shock and looked around, seeing the same expression of horror in the other faces. Auror Lincoln looked at the thing on the ground disbelievingly and cast the deadly curse a second time. The same curse hit the body on the ground and just like before, it made the thing stop moving and responding for a moment, before it came back, moaning and snapping its teeth at the them. This further proved her theory that they weren't alive.

"Does…anyone have any other suggestions?" Auror Lincoln asked worriedly, while keeping his wand trained at the thing on the ground.

An idea came to Hermione. With determination, she walked closer to the thing on the ground, pointed her wand at first to his chest and cast, "_Sectumrecta_!" (*) A white light flashed out from her wand, hitting the chest and creating a hole the size of a sickle right above where the heart was. Dark brown blood clot spluttered around and out of the chest and yet the thing on the ground still kept moving, moaning and snapping at them.

"How can this be? How can it be still alive?" muttered Master Peltier with a slightly high pitched voice.

Hermione took a deep breath and raised her hand, which was slightly shaky, and pointed her wand at the things temple and cast the same spell. A white light hit the head, creating the precisely same size hole, splattering the dark brown brain mass at the wall and ground behind it. The body stopped moving this time and no sound came out of it. And yet both Hermione and Auror Lincoln still pointed their wands at the body. After several minutes of watching it, Hermione lowered her wand slightly and took a step closer to the unmoving body.

"Mistress Granger!" Auror Lincoln called out worriedly. "I wouldn't do that. It could be still alive."

"I will be careful," Hermione said and walked with her raised wand. She took another step closer towards the unmoving body and with a small wand movement, she turned the body around on his back. She looked at it closely and saw that it was completely dead this time and wouldn't come back. Remembering what Master Marsais said about small brain activity, she cast a specific brain monitoring charm and saw that it was completely inactive. With a relieved breath, she dropped her wand and moved her hand through her hair.

"Its dead, for good this time," Hermione confirmed and looked at the body closer for a moment. She memorized the change from a living person and that of the one on the ground, before turning back to the other people in the room.

"It-It looks like the only way to stop them is by destroying the head. The brain to be precise," Hermione ascertained with a shaken voice. Outside, the screams and shouts became louder and closer.

Healer Carrier stood up and without another word walked towards the other bounded thing on the bed. It had been once a human being, a wizard and then she cast a similar spell toward the head, destroying the head, which ceased any movement and sound. Turning around she addressed everyone in the room.

"We will have to isolate those who have been bitten or otherwise injured and put them in magical quarantine. We will need to deal with people who have… become those things. We need to bind and remove them to private areas and … end them. I will need to talk with the other healers and inform them of our findings and …and how we can stop it. Mistress Granger, I would be grateful if you could assist us further and hopefully we can heal those who have been bitten before they turn into…." The other healer trailed off, leaving the remaining words unsaid, but everyone knew what she was about to say. Things. Monsters. Undead.

Auror Lincoln walked towards his partner, took a hold of him, and moved him to the other empty bed across the room. The auror helped the injured man up and placed him across it. Healer Carrier cast a quarantine spell, putting up spell walls around him and made sure that nothing could enter or walk out of those wards without a healer's wand signature. Auror Lincoln spoke a few encouraging words to the patient. Afterwards, Healer Carrier sealed the wards around the bed and he addressed everyone.

"Before any of you go out there to help people, let me get a feel of the situation and see what's going on. Until then, you stay put. Close the door and don't open it, no matter what you hear. Only open the door for me, understood?" Auror Lincoln ordered the people in the room.

Everyone agreed in understanding and watched as the Auror left the room, shutting the door behind him. Hermione turned towards the body on the ground and towards the other body, and gently moved it under the bed. She transfigured two tissues into two blankets and put them on the bodies, respectively. Healer Carrier and Master Peltier began to magically cleaned the bloodied area, casting _Scourgify _until the whole area was clean. No one said anything as they began to keep themselves busy, trying not to listen to the shouts outside.

Healer Carrier helped Auror Orlov by casting cooling spells over his body. "He is burning up. The fever is spreading hard and fast."

The Auror moaned helplessly in pain. Hermione walked towards him, begun to cast diagnostic spells on him and her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the results.

"How can that be? How is he changing so fast?" Hermione spoke, while she watched Healer Carrier cast a light numbing spell over his nervous system, reducing the pain as best as possible.

"Every patient had shown similar symptoms. Some turned sooner, while others turned later."

"This should not be possible. A person's metabolism shouldn't be this fast. The symptoms shouldn't show this soon, unless- Of course!" Hermione's eyes lit with realization.

"Don't cast further spells, Healer Carrier. The disease is further stimulated by healing spells or potions. That's why the symptoms develop this fast."

The Healer's eyes widened and she stopped casting spells, which made the patient's pain return full force.

"Ho-How am I supposed to help him then? By muggle means?" Carrier asked, astonished and loss for words. "There aren't any muggle medications here and I wouldn't even know what to give him."

"I don't know. What I know is any magical healing methods will only exhilarate the… transformation dramatically." Hermione noticed that he was beginning to mutter something in another language. It sounded like Russian. Hermione looked at Healer Carrier. "Is he…?"

She nodded silently and confirmed gravelly, "He won't make it. The delusion is the last phase before he…"

Hermione eyes stung and she closed them for a moment to compose herself. "Than we should make it as comfortable as possible."

The other healer nodded silently and begun casting pain numbing and cooling spells over him. His vitals began to drop and his breath evened out.

The door opened just as Hermione's colleague finished casting spells. Hermione jumped around and raised her wand, ready to defend the people in the room and herself, when she realized that it was Auror Lincoln. He was out of breath, covered in sweat and blood. Realizing that it was the auror, Hermione dropped her wand to her side. He must have noticed their wary eyes, as he reassured them, "It's not my blood. We need to get out of here and…"

He stopped talking the moment his eyes fell on his partner, who was barely breathing.

"Ivan?" he called out, as he rushed towards him. Upon hearing his name, Ivan opened his eyes.

"Mike," Auror Ivan Orlov rasped, barely audible.

"Hey man, don't worry. I'm sure we can get you back on your feet in no time," Auror Lincoln said and looked hopefully at Healer Carrier, who sorrowfully shook her head and looked away.

"Mike," Auror Ivan spoke in a hoarse voice, breathing heavily. "Don' let m' turn."

"Hey now, don't talk like that, you will be ok. You just-"

"Pleas' Mik'," his voice broke and he coughed violently, spitting blood into his hand. "Pleas'."

Auror Lincoln blinked a few times, before he nodded in agreement.

Hermione turned away to give the Aurors a moment of privacy. Her eyes fell on the potion assistant, who was standing furtherest away from everyone, still shaken and deadly pale. Taking a deep breath she walked towards Master Peltier and stopped in front of him. He was still young, like how old Hermione, Harry, and Ron had been when Voldemort had risen again. She could see that this situation was taking a toll out of him. She gently grabbed his shoulder and made him look at her.

"I know this situation is horrible and something none of us have ever faced, but I need you to focus. When we go out of here, you need to be alert and ready to protect yourself and help the people outside. We'll help as much as we can." Hermione paused for a moment and gave Peltier a moment to understand and accept what was about to happen. Even Hermione didn't know what to expect when left the room. The chaos could still be heard from outside the door.

"Are you familiar with defensive and offensive spells, as well as body binding spells?"

"Yes, Mistress Granger," he said shakily with a slightly high voice.

"Good. I don't know what will await us through those doors the moment we will leave here. From the sounds we are hearing and seeing Auror Lincoln's appearance, we will have to defend ourselves. You need to be ready, Master Peltier."

His eyes widened and he nodded frantically.

"Good. We will figure something out, but when we go out there, you stay close to us the whole time. Alright?"

"Yes, Mistress Granger."

Hermione smiled up at him. "Do you have family, if you don't mind me asking?"

His eyes shone lightly before he gave her a little smile. "Yes, I have a wife. She is pregnant. Six months along."

"Congratulation, Master Peltier," Hermione said and gave him a gentle smile. She could see the worry in his eyes and could guess where his thoughts began to drift.

"You will get home, to your wife. Is she home at the moment?"

"Yes, she is home. She works from home mostly."

"That's good to hear. Do you know how to cast a Patronus, Master Peltier?" At his nod, Hermione continued, "How about you send your wife a message, explain to her that she should stay home, not to let anyone in except you and tell her to raise the wards. You do have wards around your home, don't you?"

"Yes, we have basic warding spells on and around our apartment."

"Alright. Tell her to raise them completely. If your wards aren't strong enough and you don't have any other safe house or place to go, update and strengthen your wards with runic spells by applying them on the wall around the flat."

He looked at her with a mix of astonishment and anxiety. "You think this-this will get worse?"

"Yes," Hermione said gravely. "We've all seen how fast this illness travels and infects people, as well as the absolute mortality rate. It's highly dangerous and will take some time to get it under control."

He nodded, took a moment, and cast the Patronus spell and watched as a silverly owl flew out of his wand, before it landed on his shoulder. He whispered instructions his Patronus before it took off though the wall and disappeared.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Lincoln," Healer Carriers voice spoke gently, which made both Hermione and Master Peltier turn around. The Auror hung his head and closed his eyes for a moment, before he raised his wand whispered a cutting spell, watching as the spell light flew towards the deceased Auror's head, destroying the brain. He slowly moved the blanket over his deceased partner's head, wiping his hand swiftly over his eyes. Auror Lincoln took a deep breath before he turned towards the others.

"There won't be any attempts to help the people anymore, Doc," he explained to Healer Carrier. "My supervisor has already called in back up. The hospital staff and several Aurors have begun to evacuate the hospital through the Emergency Fireplaces. Everyone, who can be treated ambulant will be sent home to their families or friends. Others will be transferred to Lafayette General Hospital, until they get the situation under control here. Hopefully, we find a solution to this fucked up situation soon."

"Stay close to me, and don't do anything stupid. Keep your wand in your hand and be ready. We will go to the other Aurors and Healers, see what we can do or should do and go from there."

He waited for everyone to follow his instructions. Hermione stood next to the potions assistant while Healer Carrier moved closer to the Auror.

Mr. Lincoln looked back at everyone. "Alright, folks. Keep silent and follow me, quickly."

The screams and shouts grew louder the moment they opened the door but this time they could hear the same blood chilling moans and screeches. The Auror looked back at the group and spoke, "Watch out for anything and keep your guard and wand up at all time. Now, follow me."

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A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger…I hate them, too. But don't worry, the next chapter will be up very soon.

Let me know what you think :D

_*) Sectumrecta_…. If you were wondering, this spell is my own creation. It roughly translate as _Sectum_ = Cut and _Recta _= straight forward


	4. Chapter 3 - Day One (Part 2)

DISCLAIMER: I do not claim any rights on Harry Potter or The Walking Dead.

A/N 1: I'm really happy to see how many of you followed and favorited this story, or took the time to leave a review. Thank you so much! A special thanks goes to uoduck, who beta read this chapter. Thank you!

A/N 2: I've reposted this chapter due to some grammar errors that have been missed in the editing part.

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**Chapter 3 - Day One (Part 2)**

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**14****th**** May 2011, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

Together they walked down the corridor they had come from. Hermione noticed the an open door along the hallway and poked her head inside, seeing a dead body on the ground. On closer inspection, she noticed that the body's head had been destroyed.

The closer they got to the Emergency Medical Department entrance, the more they were greeted by chaos. Furniture, parchments, ink, and quills were thrown around and broken. Blood had been splattered everywhere, covering the floor, walls and even the ceilings. Bodies and severed limbs were pushed aside or had been moved into another open room.

But what really made the horror of the situation sink in for Hermione was the Emergency entrance. Six of those things were attacking the four Aurors and two Healers who were trying to protect several patients, even if some had clearly open wounds. Three other of those things were openly feeding on an unmoving body on the ground, ignoring the commotion around them.

"LINCOLN!" a middle aged female Auror shouted over commotions and spells, "GET THEM OUT OFF HERE! WE ARE EVACUATING! THE HOSPITAL WILL BE SEALED OFF IN THIRTY MINUTES!"

Hermione noticed that the Aurors kept firing defensive spells that pushed the creatures, and threw them away. Some of them even cast the Killing Curse, all with no effect on them. Auror Lincoln saw the same and shot his own spell, a powerful _Reducto_ at one of the things and completely destroyed the head, as the creature fell motionless to the ground. He turned towards the Aurors and explained how to stop them permanently. The Healers and patients were shocked and had a look of horror on their face, until Healer Carrier explained shortly about their own discoveries.

Hermione cast another spell towards one of those things, who had come from another direction, with a well aimed _Sectumrecta. _Even Master Peltier began to cast his own spells after a moment.

"Lincoln!" the same Auror called after they were beginning to get the situation under control, "Where is Orlov?"

"He didn't make it, ma'am." His voice was devoid of any emotion.

"Fucking hell!" she cursed hard, before he cast an even stronger hex at another emerging infected person, blasting it against the wall.

"Go to the Potions Department. We haven't heard any news from them yet. Evacuate them and then get out of here. Report at the base and let any Auror know how to stop these things and warn them about the danger to them, not to get bitten, scratched or touched by them."

"You sure, boss?" Lincoln asked as he watched the Auror killing another one of those things. The former wizard had half of his face missing.

"Yes! Now get out of here!"

He nodded before he turned towards the group but not before Healer Carrier spoke, "I will stay behind and help as much as I can." She cast another cutting curse as another one of those things emerged. "I know the Hospital the best and can help them get out if they need it."

"Alright!" Lincoln said, "Let's go!"

Hermione gave Healer Carrier a small smile, which the Healer returned gently just as she followed Auror Lincoln and Master Peltier back to the Potions Department.

Upon arriving at the department they stopped in their tracks. Blood was splattered all over the broken glass door and the light was flickering on and off. The young assistant gasped in horror as Hermione and Auror Lincolns raised their wands, ready to fight off anything that came their way. The Auror took the lead and Hermione was about to follow when she noticed the shocked Potion Master next to her. She gently but firmly grabbed the younger man's arm and squeezed it gently, reminding him of his wand. He nodded towards Hermione and held up his wand.

The Auror gently opened the broken glass door, trying not to draw attention. On the ground were two of those things, one of them used to be Master Marsais, the Head of the Potions Department, mindlessly eating on an unmoving younger woman's body, while a two others that clearly showed several bite marks, were unmoving on the ground. The whole Potion Department was completely destroyed, explaining why no one had been responding from the department. Hermione only hoped that no one had shown up and became food for them.

Auror Lincoln gestured with his hands to be silent and to move back. Everything had worked out fine until Hermione accidentally walked on a piece of broken glass. The sudden sound made the two things on the ground look up, only to moan and screech at them. The things stood up slowly, swaying on their feet like their spine were broken.

"Go! Go! Go!" the Auror ordered urgently.

Hermione pushed the assistant back and out of the room, as Lincoln closed the broken door behind them. She cast a quick _Reparo _spell on the door, followed by Lincoln's quick strengthening spell.

"I-I'm sorry," Hermione said tremulously. "I should have seen-"

"It's alright, Mistress Granger. But from now on, please watch where you are going. It looks like these… creatures get attracted by sounds and noises. We should be more quiet from now on," Lincoln said before he looked at Master Peltier. "Is there any other entrance to this department?"

"Yes, at the end of this corridor," he said and pointed to the door behind him, which was exactly opposite of the current entrance, with the same glass door that was in front of them. They immediately realized that someone was moving from the other side, walking towards them. The Auror moved closer with his wand trained at the person. Hermione noticed immediately that it was a woman, who was slowly limping towards them.

"Merlin!" Master Peltier exclaimed roughly as he heard the unmistakably inhuman moan from the woman. The closer she got, the more they took in her appearance. She was covered in blood, with a clearly broken ankle and as she looked up, they saw the same eery milky eyes staring at them. "This is Mistress DeRook. She…Is she…" He was not able to voice out his fear.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said quietly.

Wordlessly, the Auror cast a _Stupefy_ at the woman, throwing her a few feet away before he shut the door close and cast the same strengthening charm on the door.

"How many were here in this department?" Hermione asked as she watched the three things hitting the glass door from either side. The doors were holding, as the things behind it started to hit it with their hands and body.

"Including myself, six people. The other four this morning came only because of your lecture this morning and should have left by now. "

Hermione nodded, remembering that a few listeners had left short after her lecture. She was glad that at least some were spared this…horror of today's event.

"We need to seal this department off. I don't want others to risk getting hurt by them, even if the Hospital will be shut down in twenty minutes," Auror Lincoln said, getting the attention of both Hermione and Master Peltier. "Is there an emergency spell to ward this whole area off?" he asked Peltier.

"Yes. Yes, there is," the Potion Master said, before he took a deep breath and began to chant and wave his wand accordingly. He created a blue light that reached and covered over the walls and glass doors of the Potions Department, with the exception of the elevator. With a last wave of his wand, he sealed the wards.

He gulped audibly. "No one will be able to get in or out now."

"Good," Lincoln said, as he kept an eye on the glass door, as a few more of those things reached the glass door. Hermione counted five former Potion Masters and three former healers. "I imagine that the Emergency Fireplace was inside this department?"

"Yes," Master Peltier said, pointing at the door where the now creature like Master Marsais and a few others were moaning at them.

"Great!" Lincoln said sarcastically. "Do you know where the closest Emergency Fireplace is?"

"There's one on every floor. Below, in the Magical Disease Department and above us, in the Spell Damage."

"Alright. We will go up. Just hold on a sec. I will need to update my boss," Lincoln said and cast a Patronus charm. A silvery German Shepard dog appeared, giving his message. As he sent his Patronus on his way, he moved towards the elevator, gesturing them to follow.

"Alright, I don't know what the other floors look like and how far those creatures have reached the other departments. That's why I need you to stay close, silent and alert. Keep your wands up and keep your eyes open. Got it?"

Both Hermione and Master Peltier nodded as they followed his instructions and walked into the elevator. No one said anything, deep in their own thoughts. Hermione's mind drifted towards her friends and family. For a moment, she wondered if she would ever see them again. Harry, Teddy, the Weasley's or even the British Wizarding World.

A gentle bell chime, pulled her away from her thoughts, indicating their arrival at the Spell Damage Department.

The moment the door opened, they were greeted by chaos. Aurors were holding back the things with magical shields and spells, while Healers tried to get the patients away and down the floor, towards the Emergency Fireplace.

"Follow me!" Auror Lincoln said, as he sprinted towards his colleagues. Both Hermione and Master Peltier followed closely behind and began to cast spells as fast as possible, helping patients and keeping those things away. Hermione heard as Lincoln explained to the Aurors how to stop them and soon those things fell unmoving to the ground.

Hermione cast her own spell as one of them came from another corridor towards them, killing it with a blasting hex and even Master Peltier, who finally came out of his shocked condition, begun to cast blasting and cutting hexes at any of those things he saw. Hermione was relieved to see this. If she was honest with herself she was beginning to worry about his safety and how he would survive if any of those things came closer to him.

Soon, the situation was under control and a few Aurors moved the bodies away, so that healers and patient could go home. The remaining Aurors advised the patients and healers to raise up their home wards, and to stay home. And if they saw any of those things to call immediately the Aurors and avoid any contact with them.

Everyone was helping as much as they could to evacuate the department as fast as possible and within ten, it was devoid of patients and most of the healers. They had less than ten minutes left to leave the hospital, before the wards would prevent them from leaving at all.

The next to leave was the Potions Master Peltier. He turned towards Hermione and spoke in an emotional voice, "Thank you Mistress Granger. I don't know…I don't think I would have… if you haven't come today." He was at a loss for words, but Hermione could guess what he was trying to say and gave him a reassuring smile.

"I understand and there is nothing to thank me for. And call me, Hermione," she said, before he offered her hand. He took it gently and shook it.

"Nick," he said, returning the smile. "I should go home, now. Don't want to worry my wife further."

"You do that and don't forget to activate the wards and strengthen them. Avoid going out for now until this gets under control."

"Yes, I will do that." He smiled before it turned into a frown. "How will you go home, Mistr- Hermione? If you need a place to stay, I would be happy to offer."

"That won't be a problem. I need to go to the Louisiana Capitol of Magic and from there I will get home."

"Alright. I wish you luck, Hermione," he said as he took a handful of floo powder.

"Take care of yourself and wife, Nick," she said as she watched him threw the powder into the fireplace. The usual green light whisked him away.

It was Hermione's turn to go, as Auror Lincoln got her attention. "ma'am, I overheard you saying that you were planing to go to the Capitol in order to get home. If you need a Portkey, we could provide you with one, without you having to go to the Traveling Department."

"That's very kind of you, Mr. Lincoln, but I travel overseas. I would need an International Portkey to travel directly from the Capitol to the British Ministry. A common Portkey wouldn't be powerful enough to transport me at such distance."

"True enough. Well, then, I will make sure that you get there quickly and safely."

"Oh, there is no need-"

"I insist ma'am. I need to return back anyway and along the way, I can make sure that you get home safely. After the day we had, you could allow me this, can't yah?" he asked, smiling slightly for the first time, and even his grey eyes lost for a moment his hardness.

"Alright," Hermione said. "Thank you."

"Nothing to thank me for, ma'am."

He moved towards the fireplace and made room for Hermione to come join her. As soon as they positioned themselves, Lincoln transported them into the Auror Department in the Louisiana Capitol of Magic.

The moment they left the fireplace they were attacked by one of those things, wearing Auror ropes. Hermione screamed in terror at the sudden appearance and fell back into Lincoln, instinctively throwing up a shield and preventing the thing from getting closer to them. Lincoln got on his feet and cast a quick cutting spell, killing the thing fast. Hermione got her bearings back, slowly. Her whole body was still shaken at the sudden appearance.

"Ma'am? Ma'am?" Lincoln was shaking her. "Are you ok? Did he get you?"

Hermione shook her head. "Sorry. I just… he came out of nowhere, and I didn't expect-"

"No need to apologize. I didn't expect it either," he reassured her. "Let's go. Stay close and keep alert."

Hermione nodded and followed him. But, as soon as they walked towards the hall, they heard shouts and screams. Hermione's hand tightened on her wand and raised it up, ready to fight and defend herself.

The Auror looked at her giving her a nod and signaling her to get ready. With one last glance he opened the door and what they saw made their blood freeze in her body.

Several Aurors had been turned into those things, others showed bite wounds and just a few looked like they had been bitten. It looked like they were trying to use the killing curse to kill the creatures.

"DESTROY THE HEAD!" Auror Lincoln shouted over the screams and cries.

But when no one reacted, apparently not hearing what Lincoln had said, Hermione cast a _Soronus _charm. She held her wand against her neck and repeated Lincoln's advice.

"DESTROY THE HEAD! DON'T GET BITTEN, SCRATCHED AND AVOIDE ALL PHYSICAL CONTACT! TO STOP THEM DESTROY THE HEAD!"

Lincoln demonstrated Hermione's word by casting a cutting spell at one of those things wearing an Auror robe. Hermione followed suit and begun to cast stunning and blasting spells at any of those things, killing them fast and efficiently. As they began to get the situation under control, Lincoln grabbed her arm and pulled her away towards an elevator. "We need to get moving," he said in a tight voice.

Hermione could only imagine how he must feel. Seeing friends and colleges turned into those mindless things and killing them. Hermione didn't say anything and let him drag her to the elevator, even when he closed the door and pushed the right floor.

As they reached the right department, Hermione followed the Auror and just as they rounded the corner a small group of this things attacked them.

Hermione and Lincoln begun to cast spell after spell, killing them and protecting themselves and just when they thought they got the situation under control, another group of those creatures arrived from the other part.

"We need to move!" Lincoln ordered, as he rushed down the corridor, in front of her, killing any of those things he came across. Hermione killed the ones she came across, too. She had lost count of how many she had killed by now. She wondered how much longer she could do this. Hermione threw another blasting hex towards one of those things, who had a hold on an elderly man's arm and was eating it. She saw Lincoln kill the thing with a flick of his wand and when Hermione moved to help the bitten man on the ground, Lincoln grabbed her arm, halting her in the process.

"There is nothing you can do," he said gravely, as he pulled her away and towards their destination.

Hermione knew he was right and pushed the nagging feeling of her conscience away.

After what felt like hours they finally reached the International Portkey Department. Lincoln pushed the door open, stopping in his tracks as they came face to face with more blood, death and those creatures, eating one of the few living people in the room. They were screaming and crying in pain, as trying to defend themselves in vain. Hermione raised her wand, attempting to help, but Lincoln pushed her back and closed the door.

"We can't help them. It's too late."

Hermione nodded in understanding, as he dragged her away, after magically sealing the door.

"Before I closed the door, I saw the traveling ports had been shut down. They probably did it a while ago. We need to find a fireplace and-"

Suddenly, a red light flashed above the ceiling, which caused Lincoln to come to a halt and go completely still. Hermione looked at him confused before she asked, "What's going on?"

"Fuck!" he cursed angrily, as he grabbed her arm and begun to jog down the corridor fast. "We need to get out of the building. Now!"

"What? Why? What's going on?" Hermione breathed out and cast a blasting hex towards a creature.

"They are shutting down all floo network to and from the Capitol in five minutes," he explained as he blasted another of those creatures away. "Following the sealing of all the fireplaces, the departments will begin to automatically close down from the highest floor moving down towards the ground floor. After the fireplaces are closed, every single department in the whole building will be sealed off. If we don't get out of here in less than ten minutes, we won't be able to get out of here at all."

Hermione's mind was racing. What would she do now? How would she get home? She pushed those thoughts away as she picked up her pace. She sent cutting and blasting hexes at any of those creatures she saw. Blood splattered over her, sticking in her hair, soaking her clothes and skin. It was a nightmare. Everywhere she looked, she saw blood, gore and dead bodies. Those things were either attacking people or eating unmoving bodies.

Lincoln pulled hard on Hermione's arm, as they took a sharp left turn, avoiding a group of those things that were heading their way. This was worse than the Battle of Hogwarts.

With a quick wand move, Lincoln opened the door in front of them. It was a relief to see that it was empty and not filled with bleeding, dying people or with those walking things. The moment they entered the room Lincoln shut down the door. Both took a moment to get their breathings under control.

"Do you know where to go, ma'am?" Lincoln asked, looking at her intently.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't have anyone in America. My family and friends, live in Britain." She couldn't hide the worry in her voice as she explained her situation.

The Auror only nodded ones. "Judging by the current situation, I think it would be okay if you came to say with me and my family, until we figure out how to get you home, if you like."

Hermione was touched by his kindness, but still asked, "Are you sure, Mr. Lincoln? I don't wish to impose on you and your family."

"Don't worry, ma'am, and the name is Michael. Just call me Mike, ma'am." he said, as he walked towards the Fireplace.

Hermione was touched at his kindness. "Thank you, Mike and please call me Hermione."

Just as they were about to enter the fireplace the door opened and a small group of people rushed in with an Auror. Mike raised his wand at them, pushing Hermione slightly back. Without a word the other Auror pointed his wand at them as well.

"Where you bitten or otherwise injured by them?" Mike demanded from the Auror.

Wordlessly, Hermione raised her wand as well. Her gaze fell on everyone in the group, taking in their state. The group of six, including the Auror was completely covered in dirt and blood. The group consisted of a small family with two children, barely old enough to attend a magical school and another woman, who stood closer to the Auror. Hermione hoped that none of them had been infected.

"We don't have time for this," the Auror said harshly. "They will shut down the floo in two minutes."

"THEN ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION!" Mike shouted angrily, not pulling his wand away.

"Love, it's ok," the woman next to the Auror said shakily, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. Hermione noticed a bite wound on her forearm, as did Mike.

Mike turned towards the small family. "Did any of you got bitten or hurt by those creatures?"

"We-we didn't get bitten," the father of the family stated, clearly shaken by what they had experienced. The children were silently crying into the shirts of their parents were wearing.

Mike turned towards Hermione and asked, "Is there any way to see if they are healthy and not infected?"

Hermione thought quickly back on the symptoms and said, "High fever is the first stage that indicates of infection. I can cast a quick spell to see if they are healthy."

"Go! Do it quick!" he said. "We need to leave soon." He still held his wand at his colleague.

Hermione walked swiftly towards the group, who were clearly terrified. The parents were holding their wands in their shaking hands.

"This won't hurt," Hermione promised as she used the spell on the children first, sighing in relief as the temperature didn't show any fever or rise in temperature. "Your children are healthy," Hermione reassured them, as she cast the same spell on the parents. "As are you both."

Mike heard Hermione's diagnose and gestured towards the fireplace. Hermione helped with the children and gave the parents some advise. "Raise your wards as soon as you are home, shut down all fireplaces and apparation points and avoid any and all contact with the outside world for now."

"What are those… things?" the wife of the other Auror asked fearfully.

"We don't know, but what we know is that the infections are deadly and the only way to stop them is by destroying the brain," Hermione quickly explained.

"Thank you, ma'am," the man said before he threw the floo powder, said the address and vanished in the green light.

"She can't go with you, Johnson. She's is infected," Mike tried to explain. "She will turn and become one of those creatures."

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" the Auror shouted desperately.

"Yes, I do," he tried to explain calmly. "She will turn, isn't it so, Mistress Granger?" Mike addressed Hermione formally.

The Auror's eyes went to Hermione. "I'm sorry, but it's true. The bite wounds or any type of wounds inflicted by those things have an absolute mortality rate. They will die and turn to something like those things."

The woman next to the Auror began to silently cry. Tears were falling hard as she looked at the man she obviously loved. "Please go. Just leave me here. I could never forgive myself if I hurt you or our son in any way and I don't want you to see me…when I-"

"No! I won't leave you here!" he declared emotionally, as he finally dropped the wand to his side and turned to look at the woman next to him.

The red light above the ceiling began to flicker quickly. Looking at Mike, he said, "One minute left."

"You have to go! Please! If you ever loved me, please just go! Think of Matt! He will need you!"

Mike lowered his own wand at the display. Hermione could see the emotion warring with him, but knew that it was too late for her. Letting her go through would condemn the whole family and risk or spreading the infection or whatever this is further.

By now, the Auror didn't stop his own tears as he leaned closer and pulled her into a bone crushing hug, letting his grief free as he cried in earnest. A moment later he placed a gentle kiss on her hair and then leaned his forehead over hers.

He whispered in a broken voice, that Hermione was still able to hear, "I love you, Adriana. I always have and always will. In this world and the next." Afterwards, he walked away, tears still falling heavily.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Mike said in a pained voice, as the Auror walked passed him.

Auror Johnson could only nod, as he walked towards the fireplace, giving one last loving look at his wife as he vanished in the green light.

The moment he was gone, Hermione was pulled towards the fireplace by Mike. "Ten seconds!" he said as he took the powder in his hand, saying the address and throwing the floo powder down. Hermione looked at the crying woman, whose fate had been cruelly sealed. She then stepped through and into the fireplace.

Hermione almost fell down as they landed at the home of Michael Lincoln. He held her up as she steadied herself.

"Thank you, Mike."

"No problem," he said before he shut down the floo traveling and erected the wards.

"MIKE!" a female voice shouted and a blond woman with blue eyes came rushing into the room. A woman was holding a toddler in her arms and she threw her free arm around Mike. The auror returned the hug, wrapping his arms around her, tightly.

"By Hecate, are you bleeding? Did someone hurt you?" she asked, clearly worried.

"No, no. I'm fine, Darlin'," Mike tried to reassure her, to which she nodded.

"I was so worried! We heard screams outside and… and the wizarding radio said that people were attacking other people…some of them went crazy and …and were killing." She shook her head, as the tears began to fell heavier. "I-I thought that-."

"It's alright. I'm alright. Shh…it's ok, darlin'," he said in a soothing voice as he took her in his arms and rubbed her back gently. Hermione looked away giving the family as much privacy as she could.

"Oh, hi. I'm sorry. I didn't see you there," Lincoln's wife addressed Hermione gently after she stopped crying and calmed down. Hermione turned towards the still emotional woman, as she wiped the remaining tears away. Mike kissed his daughter's head gently. Mike was about to pick up his daughter from his wife's arms when he looked down at his clothes, changing his mind as he remembered the dirt and blood covering on them.

"Hello and no, it's fine. I'm sorry to impose on you and your family."

"Don't worry about it," Mike spoke up. "Darlin, this is Mistress Hermione Granger. She is visiting from Britain. Met her when I was called into St. Bourbon Hospital. I tried to get her to the International Traveling Department at the Capitol, but…" He faltered a moment, glancing down at his little girl with love and worry, before looking back at his wife. "I will explain everything later to you. But to cut it short, we had to leave immediately and I brought her here until we figure out how to get her home."

"Of course. You're welcome to stay as long as you need," she said earnestly giving her a gentle smile. "I'm Sarah, by the way." She held out her hand, which Hermione gently shook and returned the smile.

"Please call me Hermione and thank you for having me here. I will try to find a solution as soon as possible."

"Nonsense! You stay as long as you need."

Hermione smiled slightly in relief as she said, "Thank you, Sarah."

She smiled at Hermione, before she looked down at her daughter who buried her face into her mother's shoulder. Shying away from the new intruder. "Oh, and, this is our little princess, Melissa. Say hello to Hermione, Melissa."

The little girl with her father's grey eyes and hair color had the beautiful face of her mother. "Hello, Melissa. You have a really pretty name."

The little girl looked up from her mother's shoulder, giving her a shy smile. "Thank you, Herminny." Hermione laughed lightly at the mispronouncing of her name, which she didn't mind. Even her parents had to laugh at the display, lifting the tension of their situation.

Mike gave her a questionable look. "I never asked if you had everything with you." He looked at his wife before he turned back to Hermione. "I'm sure my wife could lend you some-"

"Oh, no, that won't be necessary," Hermione assured them, as she opened her blazer and pulled out her small leather backpack from one of the pockets that had a pocket extension charm.

Seeing the astonished faces, she explained, "I kept forgetting or losing my backpack whenever I attend a conference, seminar or give a lecture. Since then, I created an extension charm on all my inner pocket of my jackets. I've never lost or forgotten my backpack ever since."

"That's quite handy and smart of you," Sarah admitted with a smile. "Alright let's go back into the living room. Would you like some coffee, Hermione?"

"Tea if you have, please?"

"You brought a true Brit home, Sugar," Sarah teased before addressing Hermione. "No problem hun. Tea you've got."

"Thank you," Hermione said before asking. "If it's not so much trouble could I floo call my friend? I don't want to worry them?

"That's alright, take your time," Mike said before telling his wife. "I will need to make sure that the wards are completely up and secure."

"Okay," Sarah said. "Whenever you are done, just walk down the hall and to your left is the kitchen.

"Thank you again. For everything."

As they left her alone, Hermione grabbed a handful of floo powder, kneeled down and threw it into the fireplace before giving Harry's Grimmauld Place address.

"Hallo?" Harry's voice came through the fireplace before his face looked through.

"Harry, it's me."

"Hermione! Where are you? We heard that the outbreak has reached Louisiana and Kingsley tried to find out what's going out there. We got information that several wizarding villages have been attacked, including the one in Louisiana you are staying currently. I tried to contact the magical government in Louisiana, but no one has answered and then the floo networks have been shut down. What's going on there?"

"The Louisiana Capitol has been sealed off, Harry. I-"

"WHAT? How is that possible? Why?" he asked astonished.

Hermione took a deep breath as she explained her day and what she had witnessed, beginning in St. Bourbon Hospital, the infected and how they died only to turn to one of those things. She described in detail the symptoms, her own discoveries, the inhuman sounds and how they attacked the healthy living people. She told him how they left the Hospital with Auror Lincoln and went to the Louisiana Capitol and the horrors she had witnessed. Blood, death and those things people turned from one bite.

"Could they be Inferi's, dark magic or from a creature?" Harry asked urgently.

"No. Nothing like this. We tested everything, Harry. These things don't have any magic anymore. No signature, no magical core, no heartbeat, or bloodstream system. The disease or whatever this is leaves only a partially functioning brain. They aren't alive anymore, nor sentient beings. They are dead, but not completely," Hermione explained with a shaken voice.

"Bloody hell!" Harry breathed out at the news, before he asked, "Is there no way for you to come home?"

"They were everywhere, Harry," Hermione explained in tears by now. "Mr. Lincoln tried to get me to the International Traveling Department so that I could have a come home…but those things were everywhere…eating people, Harry. It wasn't possible to go inside. Then suddenly, this red light flashed over the ceiling and Mr. Lincoln told me that the Captiol was sealing off, shutting down the floo traveling in five minutes. Mr. Lincoln took me with him towards the Emergency Fireplace."

Remembering the woman, the other Auror, Mr. Johnson had left behind, brought back more tears.

"Merlin!" Harry breathed out heavily. "Where are you now, Hermione?"

"Mr. Lincoln took me home to his family. I am here for now, until I figure out how to come back home," she explained, brushing her tears away.

"Harry, listen to me! Tell Kingsley immediately what happened. Tell him everything and how dangerous this infection or whatever this is and that the mortality rate is hundred percent. Anyone who gets bitten or otherwise injured will definitely die and turn into those things.

"These weren't some people infected with rabies. It was something completely different. I have seen nothing like this. Tell everyone to get to their safety, get all the food and supplies you can get and avoid traveling at all and shut down any floo traveling. Make sure the wards are strong and up. Warn everyone Harry! This infection spreads fast, especially if someone tries to heal them magically, which enhance the metabolism in the body and makes whatever it is that causes this to change to accelerate. The only way to stop them is by destroying the head, the brain to be specific, with a cutting or blasting spell. Nothing else will work, not even the Killing Curse. Please Harry, tell everyone to get into safety!"

"Okay. Alright. I will call Kingsley as soon as I end my call with you," Harry's voice shook as he took in all Hermione has told her. "Is it safe where you are, Hermione?"

"Yes, don't worry, Harry. The wards have been raised up and I will test them later on with Mr. Lincoln and maybe add a few of my own warding spells."

"That's a relief to hear. Hermione, let me know what you will do next. Call me at least once a day, alright? I will see what I can do to get you back home."

"Thanks, Harry. I should go now. Talk to Kingsley immediately. Warn everyone to ward their homes and to avoid going out and everything else I have told you."

"Will do, Hermione. Take care of yourself and call me tomorrow again."

"Yes, I will. Take care, Harry and please be careful," she said giving him one last smile, which Harry returned before she closing the floo call.

Hermione sat for a moment and took a deep breath. Absorbing the day she had experienced, before she stood up, cast a quick _Scourgify_ spell on her clothes, and walked towards the kitchen of her host.

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A/N: I hope you liked the chapter :)


	5. Chapter 4 - Rising Death

DISCLAIMER: I do not claim any rights on Harry Potter or The Walking Dead.

A/N: First of all, I want to apologize for the huge delay. I do have a good reason actually. I moved into a new place and just had also my birthday, shortly after finishing the move. Therefore, I couldn't work on this story. But I am back again.

I'm so happy about the response this story got so far. Thank you so much for all those reviewers, alerts, and favorites. You guys made my day. A great thanks goes to uoduck and a very good friend of mine, Gavin S.. Thank you so much.

I hope you like this chapter!

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**Chapter 4 - Rising Death**

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**17****th**** May 2011, Harrisonburg, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

Three days had passed, since Hermione had escaped from the Capitol of Magic and stayed with the Lincoln's in their house, somewhere hidden in Louisiana. None of them had left the house once, not wanting to risk being attacked by those creatures…the undead.

The world had fallen into a never-ending nightmare. Outbreaks occurred everywhere around the wizarding and muggle world. The infection spread faster than a flu, killed relentlessly, and turned everyone into those undead things. The fear of the unknown only increased the paralyzing fear and uncontrolled panic in the people. Not one person had found a cure or even had an explanation for what was going on.

A number of speculative rumors circulated in the muggle and wizarding news that the cause for this infection could be the rise of new dark lords, strategically placed bio-attacks, illegal experiments gone wrong, or simply the apocalypse. None of them could be confirmed.

Consequently, this brought out the worst in humankind. Riots and violence on the streets began to become an everyday occurrence. The police were beginning to lose control of the situation, and rumors spread that several police officers had abandoned their post. Those types of disturbances had been reported everywhere and the incidences began to increase.

Hermione tried to call her colleagues and friends at the health organization in the States and at home. Her phone was still pressed to her ear, as she tried the WHO, which was located in England.

Her mind drifted towards her friends and family at home. Last night, she had talked with Harry and Ron and they had told her that wizarding America had shut down all international traveling methods. She had been shocked at the sudden act. Harry and Ron ensured her that Kingsley was pulling some strings, trying to convince the authorities of the wizarding communities in Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, and even Oklahoma, to give Hermione permission to travel internationally. So far, they hadn't been successful, but Kingsley wasn't giving up. Hermione had suggested that she could travel by airplane, but they insisted to give them one more day and if they weren't successful, then she could return the muggle way.

Feeling useless, Hermione had decided to try to find out more about this unknown plague, by calling various health organizations in the States and at home. Unfortunately, due to the current chaos, she couldn't get a connection, a direct line, nor had she been forwarded to the right person. After what felt like hours, finally someone picked up the phone. Hermione gave her identity number and her call had been forwarded to Dr. Scott McMillan, a Virologist at WHO.

"Scott!" Hermione sighed in relief. She looked at the clock in the office and counted backwards, and knew it was quite early in the morning in England.

"Hermione," an elderly man spoke. She could hear the exhaustion and relief in his voice. "Thank God, you are ok. We need you here as soon as possible. Where are you?"

"I'm in Louisiana, since this, whatever this is, began. Everyone has gone mad, Scott. What is going on? Do they know, what is the cause of this?"

"Hermione, listen to me," his voice dropped and took an alarming edge. "You need to get out of there, now!"

"What? What's going on?"

"The United Kingdom plans to shut down all public air transportations. I don't know for sure when, but from what I have found out it will be soon. You have to get out of there, before it's too late!"

Hermione paled at his words and dropped into a chair. "And they didn't announce this news in order to avoid mass panic and more chaos."

"Naturally. Several incidents have happened in the airplanes, which forced the government and the military to act. To avoid further civil commotions, they've been trying to hide the growing disaster that is the transportations among the chaos. This infection is getting out of control. No one seems to be able to contain the situation. The airplanes, boats, and other public transportation have provided the perfect distribution way to spread the infection worldwide."

Hermione was speechless for a moment, as she took in the severity of the situation.

"Scott," she said, as she took a shaky breath. "Do you, or anyone else knows what this infection is?"

"No, we don't know. None of us do. I assume, you are aware of the symptoms, signs, and what to watch out for?"

"Yes, I do."

"This is nothing we have ever seen before. The tests I have run on the blood and tissue samples were inconclusive. The only two discoveries that we've made were the acute exhilaration of decay and the dead body cells, and that the disease is not contagious to any animal species.

"Even with all the tests we ran, we couldn't find anything or discover the disease itself. I couldn't detect a virus strand or a bacterium. Toxicology couldn't find anything either. The tests didn't show any form of poisoning, nor traces of any type of chemical weapons toxications. No one detected any foreign substance in the subject samples. We don't know what it is, Hermione. The only thing we know and are aware of, is that the infection or whatever this is, is absolutely contagious to every human. We tested the contaminated samples with that of the healthy blood once, including every blood type, and every time the results showed positive for the infection. We are at a loss to what to do now. It's as if the disease is invisible. Hermione you need to come here, as soon as possible," he said in a desperate voice.

"Yes, alright," Hermione agreed. "I will be on my way to the airport now. Hopefully, I will catch a flight back home. I will call you the moment I arrive."

"Thank you, Hermione. But please, be careful, my dear."

"I will and take care, Scott. I will keep you informed," Hermione promised, before she closed the phone and took a deep breath.

"Looks like you're gonna have to catch a flight," Mike's voice came from the doorway. Hermione's head turned towards the sound.

Not knowing how long he had stood there, she said, "The British airway plans to shut down all public airways soon and I fear that the other airports will follow, shortly after."

He nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go pack a few supplies and help you get there."

"No!" Hermione said rather forcefully, while her eyes flashed hard. "You will stay here with your family, Mike. I can take care of myself, but they need you here."

He held her eyes for a moment, before he sighed reluctantly, and nodded.

"Alright, but take my car-" Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her by raising his hand in a stopping gesture and continued, "You need the car to reach the airport. It's a few hours drive away and you can't make it on foot. I won't need the car anyway. If something happens, I will take my family and apparate us away."

"Thank you, Mike. I don't know, how to repay you and your family, for the kindness you have shown me." She was clearly touched by him and his family graciousness, since her arrival.

"There is no need to, Hermione. That's our southern hospitality for ya. Anyway, let me get my girls and we'll prepare you with some stuff like a map, food, and such, for your travel. By the way, give your friends a call before you leave. Don't want to make them worried," he said and gave her a kind smile.

"Thank you. For everything, Mike"

He nodded at her, as he walked out.

Hermione took a deep breath and walked towards the fireplace. She silently wished that she was already home, with her friends, and that the last few days, were only just a horrible nightmare.

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**17****th**** May 2011, Great Britain, Scotland**

**Harry**

"We need to ensure that all muggle entrances have additional wards and are secured against any outside breach. Team A, will operate in two Aurors groups. Each group will have to be positioned on every entrance of the wizarding side. Check everyone for open bite wounds or other injuries, until your partner secures the entrance, with a set of warding spells that won't allow anyone access with a fever above 37°C. Make sure that the security is set up by noon," Harry addressed the first team of Aurors in the DMLE department, which was filled with every Auror, Hit-Wizards, and Trainees.

"Team B is tasked for the safe houses. Please form your groups with your partner and the staff from the different Departments. Ensure that the wards are properly set, strong, and have the enlisted protections spells we gave you. I want the safe houses to be set and ready no later than in the evening today. After you have completed your work, send a copy of the list with the locations of the safe houses to the Minister of Magic and myself," Harry ordered as he addressed another group of Aurors, who nodded in understanding.

"Team C is tasked with the evacuation mission in the magical villages and alleys. Each and everyone of you will ensure the safety of the people there. Request that they head to their home. Advise them to avoid going out into public, to shut down their fireplace, as well as apparation point, and to raise their wards at home, until further notice. In case they don't have a safe place to go, send them to our sub-division, the Department of Security, until the safe houses are available. If they ask questions, tell them to turn on the Wireless, and that every piece of new information will be broadcasted there. Try to stay calm and reassure them that this situation is only temporary. But remember to scan every witch and wizard temperature, with the fever reading spell, and check them out for any physical injuries, before you send them home."

"But what do we do about those who have fever, are sick, or got a physical injury?" a young Auror asked, visibly nervous about the upcoming mission.

"Everyone of you will get several Portkeys, which you will activate on anyone who shows a high fever or has visible injuries, like bite wounds, scratches, or even blood on their clothes. They will be transported in our holding department, here in the Ministry, which has been temporarily transformed into a quarantined area. There, they will stay under observation, until we will either find out if they only have a common cold, or have the unknown infection," Harry explained patiently.

"Can we just detain them without further explanation, or warrant? Won't we get in trouble for this?" another Auror asked.

"No, you won't," Harry assured them, holding out a sealed document. "Minister Shacklebolt signed the formal declaration of the State of Emergency for the British Magical Community, several hours ago, which will be published and announced in this Morning Prophet's edition. The Minister of Magic is currently giving an interview declaring the State of Emergency. This isn't just a mission to protect the people, it is to prepare for the worst yet to happen. We don't know how long these outbreaks in the muggle and magical world will take, until it's solved, but we need to prepare for the worst case scenario. Hopefully, with the announcement in the Daily Prophet we will get the evacuation done swiftly.

"Those of you, who don't know what the State of Emergency means, it's the full and completely authority of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Each and every Hit-Wizard, Auror, and Auror in training, have the permission to act on behalf of the security, and safety of each British magical life, and place. You are within your right to execute any order to secure the safety of the people or yourself, without having to go through the formal procedure this would have brought with it, usually. But be warned, any misconduct or misdemeanor will be punished by the full force of the law, and I will make sure of it," Harry pointed out with a hard voice, not leaving any room for misunderstanding.

"Does anyone else has questions?"

Even in the earlier hours of the morning, Harry could see that everyone was wide awake and looked worried. As no one said anything, he nodded. He knew that he would have to explain the difficult part now.

"I want you to be careful and stay constantly vigilant. The unknown infection, is caused by bites, and other physical injuries caused by the infected people. Up until now, everyone who had such a contact has died and turned into those creatures. Therefore, if you come face to face with any of those turned people, you will immediately eliminate the threat by destroying the brain physically. Don't get bitten-"

"WHAT?" someone shouted, shocked, at Harry, who was their Head of the Auror. "We should kill people?"

"No, they aren't people anymore, nor are they alive," Harry stated in a calm and hard voice. "They are dead. They can't be killed by magical means. Meaning, no killing curse, or even destroying the heart physically won't stop them from further attacking you. Not even the Killing Curse is strong enough to kill them. This has been proven and confirmed by the American Wizarding authorities, as well as, by China, India, and Turkey. The only way to stop them is by destroying their brain physically."

Seeing the horrified and pale faces of the Aurors, Harry pushed forward and repeated, "I want you all to be careful. Don't get bitten, scratched by them, and if possible avoid any physical contact with the turned infected at all. If you by any chance come across them, eliminate the threat by destroying the brain in a physical manner."

The Aurors stayed silent, not able to say anything else. Harry took a deep breath and added, "And burn the bodies. It is still not known, if they are contagious, while being dead. Any other questions?"

No one dared to raise another question. Many of them still had a look of disbelief on their faces.

"I know many of you have families and therefore, I will permit you a half hour to get your affairs in order, before you begin your duty. I want your full attention on the work, and not distracted on the field. We are in a situation that is nothing like we have ever been faced before and any mistake or carelessness could lead to your death," Harry paused, letting his words sink.

"Inform your families, advise them not to go out on the streets anymore, shut down the fireplace for everyone else besides yourself, and to not let anyone else in. However, if you need to find me, for further instructions, or have a situation, I'll be in Hogsmeade in half an hour, securing the area with two groups of Team C, lead respectively by Senior Aurors Johns and Hitching. If any of you find yourself in danger, I want you to return home, or to the Ministry immediately, and report to me via Patronus. That's all. Dismissed."

Harry took a shaky breath, as he ran his hand through his hair. The situation was so surreal. He still couldn't believe that it was really happening. Even with Hermione's news on the situation, she had found herself with, it was like a really long nightmare. He kept asking himself, how this could have happened in the first place.

"Harry, I need to go and warn my parents and secure the area they live in. I will keep you informed of what's going on," Ron said. His face was completely pale, which made his freckles stand out further.

"Yes, you do that. Make sure that you have everything and your emergency bag ready. Tell your family to do the same. Get them settled into Grimmauld Place, and Ron, if something should happen, come find me immediately, alright?"

"No, I'm sure with the wards up, the Burrow will be safe."

"But Grimmauld Place is safer and you know that. Get your family there, alright. There is enough space for us all," Harry said, not leaving room for debate.

"Thanks, mate. I will see you soon," Ron said.

Just as he was about to turn around and go, he halted in his step. "I almost forgot."

Ron pulled out the familiar looking bag. It was Hermione's beaded handbag. Confused, he looked at Ron, who in return smiled sheepishly at Harry.

"I let mum and dad know, how Hermione couldn't return home, because all International Portkey Traveling has been shut down. I also told them, how serious the situation was getting, and well, I thought it would be good idea to go to Hermione's place and get her things. Mum and dad helped me pack everything except the furniture. Bloody hell, Harry, she has so many bloody books, it's just crazy. I don't think I have seen so many at once since Hogwarts. Mum put some additional spells and wards on the bag that would keep the enchantment on it stronger and not messing her stuff up. Anyway, here," he said and held the bag to out towards Harry, who looked speechlessly at his friend. It's rare that Ron could be so considerate and thoughtful for someone. With a smile, he took the bag, pocketed it in his robes, and put a sticking charm on it.

"I don't want to forget it or lose it somewhere and get killed by Hermione later on for loosing her books. She would make my death painful, Harry! She is already bloody brilliant and I don't want to imagine what she would do to me if I lost her books." He genuinely sounded terrified of Hermione getting mad at him.

Harry laughed at his friend and said with a smile, "I completely forgot that she still had it."

Ron shrugged. "You know Hermione. She actually likes this ragged thing. I think I saw the tent and a few other things still in the bag."

Harry shook his head, as he smiled at Hermione antics and behavior. "Thanks Ron, I honestly didn't think of getting Hermione's stuff. It's better to be prepared than sorry."

"No problem, mate. I know you've been busy like hell with Kingsley and the DMLE. Anyway, I'm off to go see my parents and tell them of what's going on, before I make sure that everything around the village and other places are secure."

Harry nodded, "See you later, Ron and be careful."

Ron nodded before he walked away. Harry had a feeling that it was going to be a long day, as he walked towards the two waiting Aurors that he grouped himself with. Both of them were still in training and Harry wanted them to learn of the responsibilities as fast as possible.

"I will meet you both in Hogsmeade at Hog's Head Inn in twenty-five minutes. Go inform your families, but be there on time."

Both Aurors nodded and hurriedly took off.

Harry walked into his office, grabbed the spare wand from his desk drawer and walked towards his fireplace. He flooed home to 12 Grimmauld Place, and immediately took his black backpack. It bore the Potter family crest, his initials, and had an Undetectable Extension Charm, which was placed by Hermione. It had been a gift from Hermione for becoming an Auror. Ron had gotten a similar present, only his was with a Weasley crest and his initials. He smiled at the memory, as he moved to put some clothes, his invisibility cloak, his broom, potions made by Hermione, his dragon hide clothes, an additional wand holster and a picture of the three of them together, with Teddy between Hermione and himself. It had been taken just last year, at the party that Harry had thrown for Hermione for successfully developing the Lupin Cure.

After he packed everything, he put Hermione's small beaded bag into his own backpack and returned it to his inner pocket of his jacket, adding a strong sticking charm over it.

Harry walked towards his fireplace, when a movement outside caught his attention. He walked swiftly towards the window and stood motionless, as he watched his neighbors pack up their cars. He could see the worry and fear written all over their faces. Loud wails of police sirens could be heard even behind closed windows. Just as he was about to turn away, he saw from the corner of his eyes, a woman stumbling towards the family. Harry looked closer at the woman and noticed that she was covered in blood and had several open wounds on herself. Her eyes looked lifeless and had a white translucent hue over them. Her skin was deathly grey, with her mouth wide open, snapping at his neighbors. For a moment, he froze at the sight before him. The woman looked like an Inferi, a dead body, created by Necromancy, the darkest and vilest sort of magic. No wonder that some witches and wizards believed it to be a foul play by a new Dark Lord or Lady.

Harry then noticed that his neighbors were unaware of the danger that got closer to them. The woman was just across the street now.

He cursed heavily, as he swiftly opened the window, unseen by anyone, since the house was still heavily warded, and under the Fidelius spell, as Harry cast a quick cutting curse towards the undead woman. The neighbors saw a flash of light, turned around and finally saw the woman on the street, who fell motionless on the ground. The wife screamed in shock, while the husband grabbed an old weapon, a hunting rifle, and moved to stand in front of his two children and wife, ready to defend them.

The man, with the rifle, looked around, trying to find the shooter, but when he didn't see anyone, he ushered his family into the car and took off.

Harry watched them go and closed the window. He noticed his hands were shaking. This was the first time he came face to face with one of those things. His mind drifted towards Hermione and he could only imagine the horror and fear she must have faced that day.

Taking a deep breath he looked one last time outside of his window, before he turned and walked towards his fireplace, and he flooed into Hog's Head Inn.

Arriving at the wizarding pub, Harry greeted the owner, Aberforth Dumbledore. He saw one of his Auror's, William Whitening, just outside, looking around, but there was no sign of his second Auror, Gregory Wittmore.

Harry frowned at the absence of his second Auror, but turned towards Aberforth, and said, "Abe, I need you to close down all floo traveling and the fireplace. Do you have a safe place to stay?"

The older man frowned, as he stared with his blue eyes intently at Harry, which reminded him so much of his previous headmaster. "Why should I leave my pub, Harry? What's going on?"

"You have heard of the outbreaks, around the muggle and wizarding world, haven't you?" At his nod, Harry continued, "The situation has gotten worse. The Minister declared the State of Emergency and every wizard and witch needs to evacuate, and stay home, until further notice. Get your things, food, and whatever you need. Do you have a place to stay?"

"Yeah, here. Live above my pub. It's the safest place. Stood against two wizarding wars, four Death Eater attacks. I'm sure it can keep me safe from this cursed people, so don' cha worry, Harry. I'm good."

Harry eyed him warily, but nodded nonetheless. "Alright, Abe. Get your things together and close down your shop. I will come back later and see if you need anything."

"Don't cha worry, lad. I'll be fine."

Harry nodded and gave him a small smile, before he walked out towards the waiting Auror.

"Auror Potter," Auror Whitening greeted Harry and said, "I don't know where Gregory- I mean Auror Wittmore is. Should I send him a Patronus, sir?"

"Yes, do that and make it fast. In the meantime, we will get to work," Harry ordered and walked ahead to the next shop. The streets were already filled with people who came to visit the market. It was the spring market, celebrating the season of the year, by selling flowers, food, drinks, and little trinkets. Harry saw as the first group of Aurors, lead by Senior Auror Johns, headed to the market stalls to inform the people about the situation.

It had been an hour, since Harry and Auror Whitening explained to the shop keepers and the few witches and wizards who were shopping that morning, about the situation. Harry couldn't stop the nagging feeling of foreboding. He felt tense and on edge, as the grip on his wand tightened. Seeing that his other Auror was still missing didn't help his nervousness.

The next shop on the list, was Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. As he and the Auror in training entered the shop, they were greeted by George, Lee Jordan and Verity. For the umpteenth time, Harry informed them about the current situation, pointed at the Daily Prophets front page, and how severe the problem was. Just as George went to shut down the floo network, green flames erupted. Harry and Whitening pulled their wands and pointed it at the fireplace, ready to defend and protect the people inside the shop. But then Ron stumbled out of the fireplace, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and George's wife, Angelina, who rushed towards her husband's arm. They looked completely shaken, pale, and he noticed that Ron's clothes were stained in blood.

"What happened?" Harry asked urgently, as he crossed the distance between the Weasley's and himself.

"Harry, they… just as I was about to warn my parents and get them to Grimmauld Place, when those …Monsters showed up. Mum wouldn't leave for Grimmauld Place without George, Bill, and Percy."

Harry nodded, understanding why Mrs. Weasley needed to assure the safety of her children.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, we will make sure that the rest of the family gets there as well, but for now, it would be for the best to go to Grimmauld Place. It won't help the situation, if you put yourself and your family in needless danger." The pair only nodded and held each other tightly.

"Ron, make sure that they get there safely and keep me updated." Just as Harry was ready to leave the shop and go for the next one, Ron pulled him aside, silently.

"Harry," Ron spoke quietly, and he noticed the grief in his friend's eyes. "Dad tried to reach Charlie, but no phone calls could be reached and…," his voice broke and eyes filled with unshed tears. "I sent my Patronus, hoping to reach him, but… but it never went away. It didn't deliver the message to my brother, Harry."

Harry paled and stood shocked before his friend. The only reason a Patronus wouldn't deliver a message was because the person was dead. He saw the pain his best friend was in and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Ron," his own voice shook with grief. Ron only nodded silently, not able to say anything, when suddenly, a silvery otter floated towards them. Everyone's eyes in the shop widened.

The little Patronus stood in front of Harry and opened its snout, as Hermione's recorded voice spoke, "_Harry, I tried to firecall you just now, but you weren't home. Is- is everything ok? Is everyone ok? Anyway, I-I talked with a colleague at the WHO and he said that Great Britain was closing down the airports, soon. I'm going to the next airport here in New Orleans and hopefully, I can find a flight home. It is my only chance of getting out of America." _Hermione paused, as they could hear her take in a shaky breath, before she continued with a false, cheery voice, _"But don't worry, Harry. I will be careful. Mr. Lincoln, the Auror I told you about, is lending me his car, so that I can go to the airport. I will let you know when I arrive in London. Be careful and stay safe, Harry._" The message ended, as her voice faded away.

"Blimey!" Ron exclaimed harshly. Harry became more tense and increasingly terrified for the safety of Hermione, and her being out there without protection.

Harry went completely still, worried for Hermione's safety. Her being out there on her own, without protection, or help, terrified him deeply.

"Oh, my dear girl," Molly said worriedly, as she voiced out Harry's thoughts, "The poor thing is out there all alone."

"Don't worry, mum. Hermione is tough and smart. She knows how to protect herself," George said, trying to look sure of himself. Mrs. Weasley nodded, the worry still clear in her eyes, even after Mr. Weasley repeated George's words to her.

Harry didn't say anything; didn't know what to say. He wished that he could be there to help her get back home, but he had to trust in Hermione's ability. He knew he wouldn't have survived the hunting for the Horcrux', nor the countless other time he had been in danger. Hermione could think on her feet, was strong, and capable of defending herself. But this unknown and dangerous situation left Harry unsettled and terrified for her best friend.

A sudden blood curdling scream echoed from the outside. Everyone turned and looked towards the door, wand drawn out, and on high alert. The scream came again and Harry turned towards the others in the room.

"Everyone go to Hogs Head! Tell Aberforth that I have sent you and stay with him, until we come. Ron, Whitening, you both come with me."

"Harry, I need to go get Bill's and Percy's families to safety," Ron said urgently.

"Alright," Harry agreed, as he grabbed a square box of different prank chocolate from the shelve, and cast a Portkey that would get them directly into Grimmauld Place. The box glowed for a moment, before Harry gave it to Ron.

"Take them directly to my place, Ron. George will shut down the floo connection from here, as soon as you leave. We will follow as soon as possible," Harry assured him. Ron only nodded, as Molly rushed over her son and pulled him into a bone crushing hug, followed by his father. He gave Harry one last smile, as he took a handful of floo powder, and said, "Shell Cottage!" And vanished in the green light to Bill's home.

Harry turned towards the others and said, "George, get some of your things you need and then go directly to Aberforth, we will meet you there. Whitening, you are with me. Be ready and stay vigilant!" Harry ordered as he moved forward and opened the door.

The screams and shouts continued, people were casting spells, or running away. Harry and the young Auror took off running towards the scene with their wands drawn out. The sound came from the direction of Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop, which was at the end of the village. As they turned around, they saw two of those turned people attacking witches and wizards, biting and ripping out a chunk of flesh of an older wizard. An Auror group led by Senior Auror Hitching, tried to contain the situation, but Harry could see that they failed. Without warning, Harry cast a powerful _Expelliarmus_ spell, which blasted the creature of his feet and against the wall. Even with the added injuries, from the crash, the creature was still able to regain his foot, and moved towards Harry, with fletching teeth and loud screeching. Harry's eyes narrowed, as he destroyed the brain with a well-aimed _Reducto_ curse.

The other Aurors nearby followed Harry's example and destroyed those turned people in the same way.

"Send every injured witch or wizard into the quarantine!" Harry ordered firmly. Two Aurors followed his command and placed the Portkeys, which they were provided with for such a situation, on the body of the bitten victim and activated it with the given passport to send them directly into the warded quarantine area in the Ministry of Magic.

Harry turned towards the group of four Aurors and spoke in a harsh voice, "Haven't I told everyone how to treat such a situation? Senior Auror Hitching, you had strict orders on how to handle such a situation, accordingly and because of your incompetence, a citizen got infected by those things. If you fail to carry out the given order again, I will withdraw you from the field and your team. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," the Senior Auror spoke in a tight voice.

Harry nodded and looked around the group, before he asked, "Has anyone seen Wittmore?"

As no one answered, Harry cast his Patronus, and watched as Prongs shot out from his wand. The Patronus stood before him as he gave his message and told his Patronus to deliver the message to Auror Gregory Wittmore. His Patronus turned around stood still for a moment, only to turn back towards Harry, waiting.

Harry and every other Auror paled at the meaning of it. Harry ran a hand through his hair, while he cursed heavily. It wasn't the first time that he had lost someone, but never who had been just a trainee.

"Alright, listen!" Harry ordered, getting the attention of his Aurors. Most of them looked bat at him, terrified, pale, and sweaty. "We need to evacuate and secure this village. Senior Auror Hitching, are all the apparition points sealed?"

"No," he answered. "We still need to shut down three more. We were just about to do that, when those things appeared."

"Does anyone know where Senior Auror John's team is?" Harry asked, as he looked around. Another group of four Aurors should be around the village, but he couldn't see them.

"We saw them in the beginning, as we arrived in Hogsmeade. They've headed towards the other end of the village, to The Three Broomsticks. We planned to meet up in the middle, later on," Hitching answered.

Harry nodded. "Continue your work and seal the apparation points. Afterwards, go back to evacuate the people."

Without further delay, Harry cast a _Sonorus _charm and said, "Attention please! Due to the invoked State of Emergency, declared this morning by the Minister of Magic, Minister Shacklebolt, we the DMLE have been ordered to ensure the safety of the people by evacuating Hogsmeade. Please evacuate to a safe place, race your wards, and stay home. For your own safety, avoid any outside contact and close your fireplace. Anyone, who doesn't have a safe place to stay, please go to the next Auror here in Hogsmeade. They will provide you with a Portkey, which will transport you to the Department of Security in the Ministry of Magic, until we set you up with a safe house or place. Those of you who decided to stay home, please open your Wireless radio for further instruction. Thank you." Harry ended the charm with a quick _Quietus_.

Those who had witnessed the attack and anyone who had listened to Harry's announcement finally followed the instructions and began to leave the village. Several of the shop owners, immediately began to close their business and leave for their home, which were either above the shop or somewhere else. Just as they thought that they had the situation under control, new screams and shouts came from somewhere behind them. Harry and the remaining Aurors, took off towards the shouts, but what he saw chilled his blood. Before him stood five out of eight Aurors, from both groups, who had been assigned to Hogsmeade. Only for them to have been turned into the same undead things.

Harry pushed aside his shock and grief for those Aurors and cast several _Expelliarmus_ spells to keep them away from the terrified people who tried to escape them. He trained his eyes on the things that had been once his friends and colleagues. At a closer look, he couldn't detect any wounds over the blood smear, which was probably from any of their victims. None of the Aurors bore any wounds. This only meant that they had hidden their injuries and healed it themselves. Behind those turned Aurors stood at least fifteen other of those things. They came out of the Post Office, and the direction of the apparation points. This cut the way off towards Hogwarts.

Harry and Whitening watched helplessly as those creatures attacked and killed the remaining people inside the post office. They bit and tore at them, relentlessly. Harry knew that even if they went in and rescued the people, it was already too late for them to be saved.

Both watched as another Auror, Jack Bleaker, from Senior Auror Hitching's group, ran towards them. He looked at Harry with absolute horror and said, "I-I don't know what happened. They suddenly came over us and attack us. We tried to fight but there were too many and then…and then they bit Senior Auror, Hitching, Mallory a-and… and I don't know what happened to Cosigner …they jumped at us…. Mallory pushed me away…" he broke off as he tried to contain his tears, which treated to spill.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Harry addressed him with his first name, as he himself tried to stay composed, and not let the news get to him. Not now, anyway. "But we need to evacuate as many people as we can, before we can leave. Can you do that?"

"Shouldn't we get back-up, Auror Potter?" Whitening asked, who looked completely as his namesake by now.

"No, the village is lost. We will get anyone we can save and then get out of here. Bringing in new Aurors would only put them in danger and we don't know in what kind of situation they could be in. We will evacuate immediately!"

The Aurors could only nod silently, as they raised their wands at the turned people, and began to cast Disarming and Cutting spells towards the creatures.

"Follow me!" Harry shouted at the two Aurors, as he saw Madame Rosmerta running away from her store, followed by two of those creatures. Harry casts a series of quick spells to keep the creatures away, until he pulled Madame Rosmerta behind him.

"Stay close!" he commanded and didn't wait for a reply, as he continued to hold off the horde of those creatures. Suddenly, he saw from the winkle of his eye, the old wand maker, Mr. Ollivander, hurrying along, while carrying a huge bag with him. Seeing the creatures closing in on him, Harry threw several powerful _Expelliarmus _spells, throwing them several feet away, as he took off towards the wand maker. Madame Rosmerta helped the short man and both stayed closer behind Harry.

The young Auror Whitening, saved a young couple and replicated Harry's move, by putting the people behind him. Seeing how severe the situation was becoming and that they were overrun, no way to save anyone else without endangering his remaining Aurors, and those he saved, he knew that he had to leave immediately.

"TO HOGS HEAD, NOW!" Harry shouted over the inhuman moans and screeches.

Just as Harry led the others towards the pub, he saw the Auror Jack Bleaker carelessly turn away and let his guard down.

"JACK! WATCH OUT!" Harry shouted, but it was too late. One of those turned people, a woman who had been in her thirties, with a missing arm and bite wounds on the other, grabbed the Auror on the shoulder and bit into his neck. The Auror screamed in pain, before he choked on his own blood, letting a last gurgling moan out, as he fell on the ground, and three more attacked him. The creature ripped and tore on his flesh, eating him alive. People behind Harry and Auror Whitening screamed in horror at the sight. Harry cast a few blasting curses at those creatures, trying to get to the fallen Auror, but soon more of them came rushing towards them. Harry cursed heavily, as he was forced to leave the Auror behind, and get the others and himself to safety.

"TO HOGS HEAD!" Harry repeated the order, and cast spells furiously to any ofwards those things in their way.

As soon as they reached the pub, Harry put several wards on the door and windows, and made sure that those things, or anyone else, couldn't enter. Turning towards the others, he saw that they looked at him and Auror Whitening with wide eyes, specifically at his clothes. Harry looked down and saw blood all over himself, and even Whitening was covered in blood. With a quick wand movement, Harry cleaned the younger Auror and then himself, who still had a terrified look on his face, as he stood motionless before the door. His wand was raised even as his hand shook badly; ready to fight anything or anyone that tried to came in.

Everyone asked what happened, talking all over the place, until Harry held up his hand, and gave a silence gesture.

"They… They are in the village. The two Auror groups, who had been assigned to seal the apparition points and evacuate the people, have turned. They were probably injured previously and healed themselves magically, despite the warning," he paused as Mrs. Weasley and several other let out a horrific gasp or began to cry.

Suddenly, someone moaned and banged at the door. Harry turned around, wand raised at the door, and waited. He and Whitening waited with their wand raised for any crack in the window or door, but when the wards held, even after a few more of them joined the banging on the door, they lowered their wands.

He turned towards the group and said, "I need to go to Hogwarts. There is a group of them out there, probably over thirty by now, and the school doesn't know about the evacuation, nor about the growing danger they are in. It was planned that I would head there, after we secured the village. Right now, they are defenseless and I need to be there and erect the Hogwarts wards with the teachers." He turned towards Aberforth and asked, "Abe, the secret passage into Hogwarts is still open, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is, lad."

"Alright, anyone who wishes to help secure the school is welcome to come along. I think we will need all the help we can get, but you should know that once the wards are up, no one else can get in, and if any of you leave they are on their own, no way to get in again."

"Count me in, Harry! I'll help you to protect the children," Aberforth said, as he grabbed his bag from the ground, walked toward the portrait of his sister, Ariana Dumbledore, flicked his wand, and opened it. One by one, everyone agreed to go to Hogwarts to help secure the castle and the children.

The moment they were inside the castle, Aberforth cast a strong sealing charm, which wouldn't allow anyone to open the portrait. Harry wanted to remind him that it wasn't necessary, because once the Hogwarts wards were erected, no one could come in, not even through the hidden and secret passageways. Instead, he turned around and took off towards the castle and soon, arrived in the Room of Requirement. Harry followed by everyone else from the pub, walked into the Great Hall, where the students were having breakfast. Ignoring the whispers and confusion from the students and teachers, he walked directly towards the Headmistress, at the head table.

Headmistress Minerva McGonagall looked confused at the presence of the thirteen people, including Harry.

"Mr. Potter, what in Merlin's name is the meaning of this?" the Headmistress asked confused as she stood up, from the chair at the head table.

"Headmistress, we need to raise the wards of Hogwarts immediately. Call upon the Guardians and place them around the castle."

"Why on earth would I do that, Mr. Potter?"

"The castle and everyone here is in danger! We don't have time! Please, just trust me!" Harry pleaded earnestly.

Clearly conflicted about the situation, Headmistress McGonagall eventually relented with a nod.

"Very well, Mr. Potter," she said before she turned towards the children in the Hall, who had been watching the display with confusion, and ordered, "All Perfects, including the Headboy and Headgirl, please escort all students back to their dormitory and seal entrance, until your Head of House returns. Anyone, who doesn't follow the instruction, will face the consequence."

But when no one moved, McGonagall commanded sternly, "Now!" Which caused the children to shot out of their seats and hurriedly walk towards the entrance, looking worried and fearful.

As they finally left, the Headmistress turned towards her teaching staff and other adults, and said, "Please position yourself outside around the castle, within the Hogwarts ground, and the entrance of the Forbidden Forest. Upon my signal, you will cast the protection shield. Anyone who isn't familiar with it, please ask Professor Flitwick, before you leave. Mr. Potter, a word please."

The Headmistress walked swiftly out of the Great Hall, closely followed by Harry.

"Now, tell me what's going on!" she ordered sternly, as she stood outside the Great Hall. Harry gave her the short version of his day and what had happened in Hogsmeade. McGonagall paled and pulled her wand out, raised in the air and casted with a loud clear voice, "_Piertotum Locomotor!_".

The Hogwarts suits of statues, the guardians of the castle, came to life, as Minerva McGonagall commanded, "Hogwarts is threatened! Man the boundaries, protect us, do your duty to our school, and don't let anyone inside the castle!"(*1)

The armed statues, made of stone and metal, walked or jumped down from their previous location. They marched in formation as they headed in different directions, which lead outside the castle, ready to defend the school. It was certainly a sight to behold.

"Never thought I would have to use this spell again," Headmistress McGonagall commented thoughtfully, before she turned around and saw the teachers and adults standing outside at the Great Hall's door, watching the display with awe.

"I believe all questions have been answered?" At Professor Flitwick's nod, McGonagall continued, "Please position yourself outside the castle, and begin to cast the shield on my command. We should be more than enough to erect the strong shield and activate the wards."

Everyone nodded and went on their own way. Harry ordered his Auror to go to the Quidditch Pitch with Olivander, while he went with McGonagall towards the Astronomy Tower. From this viewpoint, they could see at least twenty turned people, making their way from Hogsmeade towards the school and upon seeing this, the Headmistress paled dramatically, but referred from saying anything.

In position, McGonagall raised her wand in the sky and began to chant, "_Protego Maxima. Fianto Duri. Repello Inimicum_." Blueish white shots of light flashed into the sky, creating the first web of the shield. (*2)

This was everyone's cue to raise their wand and follow her lead. Harry raised his own and put as much power into each word as possible. He could feel his own magic, webbing and merging with the protection charms, and becoming part of the castle's ward. Harry marveled at the beauty of the shield, as it stretched from the center of Hogwarts like a bluish translucent dome over the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch Field, and part of the lake. After what felt like hours, they finally completed the shield and wards.

Just as they were about to leave the tower, McGonagall saw something on the field that made her eyes go wide with horror. The first turned person was already approaching the castle, closely followed by more of the same. The suit armor stood in front of the creature, sword raised, and ready to defend the school, but it wasn't necessary. As soon as the woman walked into the shield, the ward turned her to ashes. The same fate received the other turned people, as they tried to pass the wards to enter the castle and more suit armors stood ready to fight. Everyone of them had been turned to ashes, leaving no trace of them behind. After the initial danger passed, the statues took their usual stand. Harry sighed in relief.

"Headmistress," Harry addressed his former Transfiguration Professor, as she still stared disbelievingly at the same spot she had witnessed her first encounter of the turned people, destroyed by the wards. "How long will these wards hold?"

McGonagall finally looked away and glanced at Harry, as they walked back. "The wards and security system of Hogwarts have been improved after the Battle. They are now stronger and more durable. These wards should now hold for five years. Afterwards they will need to be recharged with runes, blood magic of various witches and wizards, and casting specific spells, but afterwards the wards should be strong for another five years."

Harry nodded thoughtfully, glad to hear that these children were safe now and wouldn't be put in danger.

"Mr. Potter, where are Mr. Ronald Weasley and Ms. Granger?"

"Ron went to find his remaining family and to get them to safety. Hermione…. she is in America." McGongall's eyes widened, but Harry continued, "We couldn't get her back and now, she is trying to get a flight to return to London today."

McGonagall only nodded at his words as they walked back, but Harry could see the worry in her eyes. He knew that she had a soft spot for Hermione and that the news of her being in danger made her worried.

"I will need to inform the Centaurs of the situation and inform Kingsley as well. Please wait in the Great Hall for me, I will be there as soon as possible."

With a nod, Harry walked towards the Great Hall. Along the way, he came across Draco Malfoy, who had, from what he had heard, been an apprenticeship under Professor Slughorn, after he worked for his father for several years. Apparently, he had enough of doing what his father wanted and decided to have a complete career change.

"Potter," Malfoy addressed Harry, who looked at him as he kept walking towards the Hall. "What's going on?"

Harry wanted to tell him to piss off, but pushed those old school rivalry feelings aside. Now wasn't the time to be petty and childish. Today, he had lost nine Aurors. One of them had been a trainee, barely out of school, two Senior and six fully trained Aurors. He didn't know how to tell their families of their loss or face Kingsley, for the failure. How many Aurors had lost their lives today?

Harry pushed those thoughts away and looked at Malfoy.

"I will explain everything, when we're in the Great Hall, with the other teachers," he said and added with an afterthought, "Malfoy, you should warn your parents to avoid going out, to seal their wards, and close the fireplace. The situation is really serious."

Malfoy's eyes widened as he nodded and walked silently next to Harry.

Upon reaching the Hall, Harry saw Ron's Patronus, a Jack Russell Terrier, delivering a message to Molly, "_-We are fine, mum. Found Percy with the Minister, and they are right now at Neville's ancestral home. Said his wards were really strong. Percy said that Kingsley will give a speech over the Wireless, about the situation and the sealing off the British Wizarding Community. Meaning, only a handful of magical entrances will stay open and completely monitored by Aurors, and all apparition points are closed. Anyway, he will explain everything in detail over the radio in two hours. I found Bill and his family and brought them to Harry's place. They are safe there, everyone is ok. Let me know when you guys will come here and ask Harry, if he needs me there. See you soon,_" Ron's voice faded, followed by his Patronus.

"Tell Ron to stay where he is. We need to know what Kingsley wants us to do, first. The situation is clearly out of control."

Mr. Weasley nodded at Harry's words and cast his own Patronus, which took the form of a weasel and repeated Harry's message, as well as, told him about the situation his family was in.

Harry cast his own Patronus and soon the stag stood before him, as Harry gave a message for Hermione. He watched as Prongs took off and sighed in relief. Even if it would take hours for Hermione to get the message, due to the distance that parted them, he was still glad that they had at least some sort of communication.

As he sent the message, he cast another Patronus to deliver an update to Minister Shackelbolt, informing him of the current situation and the occurrence in the wizarding village.

He noticed that several other teachers and adults from Hogsmeade, were sending their own Patronus to their families and friends.

After everyone was finished, Harry turned towards the teachers and several other adults, as he began to explain them in detail of the situation they are currently in, and what had occurred in Hogsmeade.

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*1) from the Movie/Books as McGonagall commanded the suits to protect the school

*2) from the Movie/Books as the teachers and adults cast the Hogwarts wards


	6. Chapter 5 - Finding Home

DISCLAIMER: I do not claim any rights on Harry Potter or The Walking Dead.

A/N: I am so happy about all the amazing reviews that I've got for the last chapter, as well as for all those who have put this story on their alert and favorite list. You guys are just awesome and have truly made my day(s)! A special thanks goes also to uoduck and my friend Gavin S., you both are just fantastic!

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**Chapter 5 - Finding Home**

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**17****th**** May 2011, Jonesville, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

"_Where y'at, people? If you are driving or are underway, expect to face heavy traffic for several hours. All Interstates are totally blocked, and you should avoid them for today. But those poor guy's out there, don' cha worry, we will keep you entertained. Here is WRKF, 89.3FM!_"(*1) The radio reporters voice was replaced with another song.

Annoyed with the news, Hermione leaned back in the car seat and groaned.

"Couldn't you have told me this an hour ago?" Hermione asked annoyed to no one in particular. With a sigh, she looked around and saw a sea of endless cars. Each and everyone of them were completely packed with suitcases or boxes. She had noticed that the radio stations were downplaying the situation, by either avoiding it or giving as little information as possible.

Hermione wondered, how long it would take for her, to finally reach the Alexandria International Airport, in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling of foreboding that she had. An agitation that began to grow left her unsettled, the longer she was stuck in the traffic. Her thoughts constantly drifted towards her friends in England. She hoped that they were fine and not in any danger. She wished she could get her parents somewhere safe, or at least somewhere where they would be protected, even if they didn't know that they had a daughter.

Her eyes fell on the green wristband on her left wrist, before she started to stroke it softly. She silently prayed that they would stay safe until she could find a way to get them to a secure place. The only comfort she had, was that Australia hadn't broadcasted news of outbreaks; hopefully, it would stay that way and they would be able to avoid it completely.

Her thoughts were cut short, as she saw the people on the street, who stood next to their cars, and began to look more nervous as they stared in front of them. Hermione frowned, as she saw more people leaving their cars to see at what was going on. After a few minutes, she grabbed her backpack, left the car, and walked slowly forward until she stood near a family. By now almost everyone had left their cars to see the commotion.

Just as Hermione was about to ask around what was going on, she saw a few people running towards their way, coming from the direction everyone looked at. A father was holding his little girl tightly in his arm, shielding her view from everything, as a woman, probably the wife and mother, was just a step behind them. People were startled at the action and tried to ask the father of what was going on, but he didn't say anything and kept running. Hermione walked to the side, on the grass to have a better look, and what she saw, made her pale instantly.

Dozens, if not more people ran their way. She knew that whatever caused them to react in such fear and panic, wasn't good. She rushed back and said to the small group, "People are running this way. I think it would be for the best to get away. Whatever caused such a panic isn't good."

Some looked at her with wide eyes and realization. Others looked at her with suspicion. But she didn't care. Absently, she touched her wand in her wand holster on her left arm, which was covered under a long sleeve shirt and a thin jacket. Fortunately, the father of the small family acted immediately and got to the car, to take a few things out. And soon, the others followed suit. More people ran past them, filled with panic and deeply frightened. A young woman was successful and got a hold of a teenager, who came from the same direction, and asked him what was going on.

The boy panted, eyes wide with terror. He frantically looked back for a moment, as he tried to catch his breath, and then said to the woman, "They… They are there! Those things, those zombies! They are down there. A horde of them! They… they came from out of nowhere… and they attacked us. They started to eat people and… and someone tried to stop them. He had a gun, but they didn't stop… and… and then they killed him."

"That's where the shots came from," someone concluded, which must have been the reason why people began to get out of their cars in the first place.

"Did he shoot them in the head?" Hermione asked suddenly, ignoring the shocked and horrified eyes on her, as she looked directly at the teenager, who looked back with wide unfocused eyes. Hermione took a step closer to him and said in a calm voice, "Take a deep breath. Come on, take a long deep breath." She demonstrated it and soon the boy calmed down. "Good. Now, can you tell me, if that man shot those things in the head?"

The boy took a moment and then shook his head. "No, ma'am. He didn't. He shot him first in the leg and then chest, but not the head."

Hermione nodded and then said, "That's why they didn't stop or couldn't be stopped. In order to defeat those turned people, you need to destroy the brain. Nothing else will work and they will keep attacking you."

"How do you know that?" a man asked surprised.

"I came face to face with them in a hospital, a few days ago. The situation was becoming out of control and we figured out how to put them down permanently."

"You are a doctor?"

"Why hasn't that been brought in the news?"

"I told you that the government was hiding things from us."

"That means that they aren't just sick people?"

Hermione chose to answer the more important question, "No, they aren't sick. The examination showed that they aren't alive anymore. They don't have a beating heart, or blood flow, and their cells began to decay the moment they become those things. They are highly contagious. Their bite, or any type of inflicted wounds, caused by them is absolutely fatal and death is guaranteed. After the death, for some unknown reason, they reanimate and turn into those things."

A small family with a boy, around the age of fourteen, rushed towards the teenager. The family looked him up and down frantically, and after they saw that he was not injured or hurt in any way, pulled him into a tight hug.

Suddenly, Hermione heard something all too familiar that chilled her blood. She looked quickly in the direction of the sound, which was the way the family came from, and walked closer. Then she saw four of those things eight cars away, shuffling towards them.

"We need to go! Now!" Hermione spoke frantically. Everyone grabbed a few things and took off. She made sure that everyone put some distance between them and then once they were well away, cast several nonverbally _Expelliarmus_ spells at those things, creating further distance between them. She could have killed them easily, but she didn't want to risk exposure and confusion on how she had managed to kill them, without a weapon at hand.

Hermione watched as the people took off, either on to other streets or into the buildings nearby. The young family and that of the teenage boy gestured for her to come over.

"Come, it's safer here," a woman called out.

"No, I need to go. I have to reach the airport," Hermione said.

They nodded with understanding, not hiding their worry. "Alright, you take care then," said the father of the teenager.

Hermione gave them a small smile and watched as they closed the door behind them. She looked around to assure herself that no one saw her, then she cast a quick, strengthening spell on the door of the building. With a last glance at the building and hoping that they would be alright, she walked away. She could hear the moans of the things behind her and at first she thought to leave them behind, but then she remembered the families hidden in the building or those on the run. Making a decision, Hermione stood behind a tree, hidden from any prying eyes, as she cast from a great distance one quick _Sectumrecta _after another, killing all the creatures swiftly. Hermione lost count of how many she killed and after no other creature came, Hermione cast an Invisibility Spell on herself, not wanting to risk anyone seeing her, and quickly walked away.

Hermione didn't know how long she had been walking, towards the train station that she had located on the map, when she saw the news broadcasting from the TVs of an electronic shop's window. She stood still and her eyes widened at the news she read on the information banner below. She finally cancelled the Invisibility Spell and rushed into the shop. People were standing around the TVs and listened intently.

"_Two days after the United Nations confirmed that these infection attacks have reached a global outbreak, the President of the United States declares that all air, ships, and train transportations to be cancelled effective immediately. Many countries in Europe have followed the example, as did several other countries in Asia. No incoming or out coming transportations are allowed…_." (*2)

Hermione stared, shocked, at the TV, as the reporter continued with the news, which Hermione couldn't seem to hear anymore. It was too late, she wouldn't be able to get home anymore. Tears began to well in her eyes as the situation became more hopeless.

An elderly couple must have noticed her emotional state, as they approached her.

"You're alright, dear?" the elderly woman asked kindly, with a heavy southern accent.

Hermione blinked her tears away, and opened her mouth to reply, but nothing would come out. She took a deep breath, to calm herself as much as she could and then said with a quivering voice, "I was supposed to fly back home today. Now, I…I don't know what to do," Hermione confessed, as the tears threaten to fall again.

"I'm sorry, dear. Well, I don't know if it will help ya, but before they said about all transportations being cancelled, the Alexandria International Airport had already cancelled several flights but assured the people that they would take off as soon as possible. Those who couldn't fly were provided with rooms at the airfield hotels. Don't think they would kick those people out there, who planned to fly home."

"On the news, we saw police and even a military car stationed at the airport," the elderly man cut in and reassured Hermione kindly. "I'm sure once this whole thing gets under control they will clear the airfield again."

Hermione nodded and gave them a small smile. "I hope so. I think I should get going then. Thank you very much for your help."

"Good luck, dear," the elderly woman said and returned her smile.

Hermione turned around and went out off the store. Lost in thoughts, she walked aimlessly on the streets, until she noticed a silvery shape in the distance approaching her. She quickly rushed into a small alley, cast a Muggle Repelling Spell and Disillusionment Charm, concealed the area and herself, just as Harry's Patronus stood before her.

It opened its snout and Harry's voice spoke, "_Hermione I hope you've reached the airport by now and are on your way here. Go to my place as soon as you arrive, but be careful. A few of those turned people have appeared on the streets in the Muggle World. This morning, Kingsley declared the State of Emergency over the British Magical Community…you know what this means, don't you. Anyway, my team and I took charge over Hogsmeade, to evacuate, get the people to safety, seal the apparation points, and all public fireplaces." _

He sighed deeply, before he continued,_ "Things didn't turn out well, Hermione. We had an outbreak in Hogsmeade. Nine of my Aurors, and … too many civilians died. The Weasley's were there as well and they are all ok…but Charlie… no Patronus can eliver a message to him." _He paused again for a moment._ "However, those we could save we brought them to Hogwarts and erected the wards. We were just in time, Mione. Those creatures or whatever they are, arrived just as we finished with the spells. Anyway, we are safe. So don't worry. Mr and Mrs Weasley, as well as Ginny, George, Angelina, Lee Jordan, Verity, Mr. Ollivander, Madame Rosmerta, Aberforth, a couple and one of my Auror in training are here with me. Ron is with Bill and his family, Percy with the Minister at Neville's ancestral home. Don't know how long I will stay here. So, don't worry about us, just get here, as soon as possible, and then we can figure out what the bloody hell is going on here. Stay safe, Mione and send me a Patronus. We miss you._" Harry's voice faded away, along with his Patronus.

Hermione collapsed on the ground and leaned against the wall of the building, and finally let her tears fall. Her mind ran wild trying to come out with a solution and yet no useful idea came to her. She didn't know what she should do. To return to the Lincoln's would be the easy way out and logical approach, but to what end? Going home was became more of an impossibility.

_What could she do now?_ The thought repeated itself over and over again_._

The only option she had was to accept the situation she was in, which meant to stay in America and do what she could do best, to help the people, by finding a solution.

She made up her mind, brushed her tears away, pulled out her phone from her backpack, and dialed Dr. Scott McMillan number, her friend and a virologist at the WHO in England. But no one was picking up. It kept ringing until an electronic voicemail spoke, advising to call later. After the fifth try, Hermione closed the phone and tried his private number, but to no avail. She pushed the feeling of dread away, and intended to try again later.

Hermione took a deep breath, as she stood up, and cast her Patronus. Her little otter flowed around for a moment before it stood before her.

She kneeled down and said, "Harry, I'm so glad that all of you are safe and that you thought of the children at Hogwarts. I don't want to imagine what could have happened if you hadn't been there. Anyway… I don't know if you have heard it yet, but the United States shut down all public transportations. I…I can't come home, Harry." Her voice began to shake and she took a moment to calm down, before she added, "But don't worry. There are police officers and probably soldiers stationed at the airports, to where I will be heading now. I hope that once I'm there that I will be able to find someone to get me to the closest CDC facility here. Since I don't think I will be able to leave, until this mess is solved, I will try to help figure out how to stop this. So, don't worry, I'm fine. I will send a Patronus, once I reach the airport. Say hello to everyone and stay safe." Hermione ended the recording and send the Patronus to Harry.

Just as she was about to cancel the charms on herself, she decided against it and put an additional Invisibility Spell, replacing her Disillusionment Charm. Hermione then took a different path, offside of the road. Even though, she was aware that it would take much longer, probably one or two days, without a car to reach her destination, she decided to walk instead of taking a car. The roads were completely blocked and to remain in one place was too dangerous. She would be much faster and safer on foot.

Walking through the streets had been dreadful. People began to loot the stores, damage the properties, and tried to leave the city in their cars. She encountered several of those things on her way, which she swiftly took care of, helping the Muggles from afar, as much as she could. Since no one could see her, it gave Hermione an advance to help and protect the people by killing those things.

By nightfall, she reached the forest of Dewey W. Wills Wildlife. She made sure that no one was around and began to cast the same protection spells, she had used, while Harry, Ron, and herself were on the run and hunting the Horcruxes. She created a little fire, as she leaned against a tree with a transfigured T-Shirt as a blanket to keep her warm. She felt exhausted and tired, and yet, she couldn't find sleep. Any noise the woods made woke her up and all the time, she kept her wand tightly in her hand.

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**19****th**** May 2011, Rapides Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

It had taken Hermione two days, to finally reach the city. The woods had been surprisingly safe compared to the populated areas. Hermione used the time of safety to collect all information she had on those things and wrote them in one of her notebooks; especially, their behavior, reactions, and their physical resistance, or the lack of it.

Meanwhile, she had been in contact with Harry and Ron, letting them know how she was holding up and in return, they kept her informed of the situation in the wizarding world. She was relieved that everyone was alright. She wondered often and silently prayed that her parents were safe in Australia. She caught herself several times glancing at the green wristband that monitored both her parents' situation and life status.

The peace and even the silence had been left behind, as soon as she had arrived in a larger populated area. There she was met with utter chaos. Terrified people were trying to leave the city, running for their lives, while taking anything they could carry. And after a few hours, she came face to face with those things, again. Even with her magic, the situation was too much for her and she couldn't handle everything on her own. She also felt tired, due to the constant use of Concealing and Protection spells on herself, as well as other spells she had cast to defend or protect others and herself. It didn't help that Hermione wasn't eating properly.

As if someone had heard her thoughts, she found a grocery store, with broken windows and door. Tentatively, she walked into the store, over the shattered glass, as the lights flickered ominously. Hermione watched as the people grabbed anything they could carry and left the shop hurriedly. She moved along the aisle and grabbed a few cereal bars, bread, canned food, and water, enough to last for a few days, before she walked out of the store.

She swiftly moved past the roadblocks, people, and police officers. Unseen by anyone and yet, for some strange reason she noticed that if they got close enough to her, that they could sense her. She didn't know if it was because of the sounds she made, or smell, but maybe it was something entirely. Because one of those things had a missing nose, his face had been half gone and he could still sense her. She noticed that they could detect her, if they were around three to four feet away. Hermione wrote those observations down into her notebook, whenever she rested a safe distance away.

At nightfall, Hermione finally reached the city Alexandria and the situation was far worse than the previous smaller cities. Police officers were stationed everywhere; occasionally, military cars and soldiers were positioned at the main streets, not letting any cars through the major roads. People began to get upset and angry about the situation and openly attacked several police officers. Hermione moved between the barricades and walked down the dark street, which was barely lit. It raised the hairs on the back of her neck. She decided to get out of the streets and instead to walk through the park that should lead her away from the roadblocks and towards the airport.

Just as she spotted the bridge from afar, she noticed something that stopped her breath. Her heart beat in her chest furiously, as she fell on her knees, not able to hold herself up anymore, while her eyes looked intently at her wristband. It had turned from green to completely black. Not half of the wristband, but completely. The only reason this would happen was if both her parents had died. Tears began to fall heavily as she stared unblinkingly at the wristband, willing it to turn back to green. But it didn't change back. No matter how long she stared at it or how much she wished it differently, it stayed the same. She closed her eyes and let herself fall to the ground, letting the grief consume her. Hermione's body shook with heavy sobs at the loss of her parents. She wished she could have had one more moment with them, being remembered as their daughter, loved, and embraced as one. A dream that had followed her for years, as she hoped for a miracle.

Now, it was too late. Never would she be able to see them again, even if it had been from afar, letting them live their life without her. All that had mattered to Hermione was that they were safe and now she had failed to even do this. They died because she was not able to protect them.

Hermione laid there on the ground, invisible to everyone, and not caring for anything for once. She heard those things again, but she didn't move, as she kept staring at the stars. For a moment, she lost all will and strength. Lost in memories of the life she once had with her parents. She wished that she had done things differently. Nonetheless, it was too late. Maybe it had been too late ever since she chose to erase their memories, to ensure their protection. She wished that she would wake up and none of this would have happened. She wished that this was just a horrible nightmare and nothing else. A wish that was in vain.

Hermione took a deep breath and brushed her tears away, before she sat up. Her gaze fell on the black wristband.

"I'm sorry, mum and dad. I wish I could have been there to protect you both. I only wanted to keep you safe. I hope you can forgive me, wherever you are. I love you both so much," Hermione's voice broke, as a new wave of tears fell from her eyes.

Her grief was interrupted, as one of those things appeared a few feet before her. Apparently, the thing had heard or sensed her and now was rushing towards her. Hermione was suddenly filled with so much white-hot anger, that she jumped to her feet and cast a silent cutting spellat the thing, which fell lifeless to the ground. But Hermione wasn't done with it. She kept casting the spell over and over again, until there was nothing left of the head anymore. These were those things that probably had killed her parents, Charlie, and so many other people.

With a newfound determination, she made her way towards the bridge. She noticed more people on the streets, even at night, people were on the move, trying to leave on foot. The roads were filled with motionless cars, not able to drive due to the roadblocks.

Upon walking towards the bridge, that would lead her to the airport, Hermione noticed that it was also completely shut down. Instead of roadblocks, there stood military cars along with two police cars. People wanted to go past the bridge, but armed officers and soldier didn't budge.

Hermione moved behind an alley and made sure that no one was there and then cancelled the spell. At the last moment, she put a mild Muggle Repelling Charm on herself, to be able to move between the crowds. She slowly walked back to the bridge, pushing gently people away, until she reached a police officer. He looked surprised at her sudden appearance, after Hermione cancelled the spell.

"Ma'am, the bridge is closed. Please return back to your home."

Hermione had rummaged through her backpack and pulled out her identification cards. "I'm Dr. Hermione Granger. I work for the WHO and as an advisor for the CDC. I need help to get to the closest facility," Hermione explained in a loud voice, in order to be heard over the noise.

The police officer's eyes widened as he took her identification cards and inspected them thoroughly, before he grabbed his walkie-talkie on the shoulder and spoke into it. Hermione couldn't hear what was said, but a moment later the officer gave her the ID's back and gestured for her to move in. Several people got upset about this and the officer shouted over the commotion, and explained why she had been let through, which calmed them down slightly.

Hermione slipped her wand back into her wand holster as she walked tentatively between the military cars, not knowing where to go. Two fully armed soldiers suddenly moved towards her.

"Please identify yourself, ma'am," one of the soldiers ordered in a clipped voice. Hermione wordlessly held out her cards to them, which the soldier took and said, "Follow me, please."

The soldier, who held her identification cards, moved before them, while the second soldier, who still hadn't said anything, walked next to her. Hermione glanced at his name on his chest, which read J. Fuller.

She silently followed the two soldiers, as they reached a military tent. Inside, it was filled with computers and soldiers, talking and what appeared to be coordinating their work. They walked directly towards a middle aged uniformed man, who bore different insignia, and was looking through different files and maps.

Both soldiers stood on each side of Hermione and saluted together, before the one, who was holding Hermione' ID cards said, "Staff Sergeant, we have a civilian who asserts that she is a scientist at the WHO and advisor at the CDC. We have her identifications cards, sir."

The Staff Sergeant put the files away, looked at the IDs and said, "Please confirm the identity, private." He returned the cards to the soldier, who took it.

"Yes, sir," he said, saluted, and left.

"Dr….?" the Staff Sergeant addressed Hermione, giving her a calculated look.

"Dr. Hermione Granger, sir." Hermione couldn't hide her nervousness at his hard look in his eyes.

"Tell me about yourself. Why are you here in Louisiana? From your accent I can tell that you are British."

Hermione nodded at his observation. "I met a few friends Jonesville," she lied a little, since she couldn't well say that she had been at a magical conference in New Orleans and ended up coming here to Alexandria, without sounding like a lunatic.

"How did you get from Jonesville to here? All the roads have been blocked for days."

"At first, I did try to drive, but I had to leave the car behind after an encounter with those things. After that I decided to walk here."

He raised an eyebrow and looked at her with suspicion. "And all the way here, you didn't stumble against a few more of those, as you put it, things? How did you defend yourself against them, or haven't you been attacked by them?"

Hermione's eyes narrowed at the Sergeant, as she straightened herself. "After witnessing and observing those things intently, I came to the conclusion that they couldn't be alive, yet they still keep walking, and attacking people. Spreading the unknown virus or bacteria fast and ensuring an absolute mortality rate. Therefore, I handled the situation as I would have with any other decontaminated objects that threatened to expose anyone or that threatened to infect others."

The Sergeant looked at her with an unreadable expression, but Hermione didn't waver from his gaze, nor did she show any fear. If it should come to the point where they arrested her, she could easily apparate away among the chaos. No one would be able to find her with all the mess going on, but it would make things difficult for her, if they mentioned something like in the database in the CDC or other health organizations.

"How did you decontaminate the situation, Dr. Granger?"

"By destroying the brain. I have witnessed injuries and shots at those turned people, which would have easily killed any other living being, but not them. Only a shot to the head, or anything else that would damage the brain, ensures that they cannot pose a threat anymore. Not with an attack anyway," Hermione explained with a direct voice, not really caring of the consequences it could bring. As long as they knew how to eliminate those things, she would be fine.

The previous soldier returned with her ID's, and said after saluting again, "Sir, the identification came out positive. Dr. Hermione Granger is a British citizen, who works for the WHO in England. She is one of the leading scientist in Toxicology, and also a scientist in Molecular Biology, specialized in Genetics."

"Genetic Engineering," Hermione corrected, still looking directly at the Staff Sergeant, daring him to arrest her for saving her and other lives, which he wasn't aware of.

"Sorry, ma'am," the soldier said, in a slightly gentler voice and continued telling the sergeant about Hermione's job.

"Dr. Granger has been working since 2007 at the WHO and has been an advisor for the CDC. It would explain why she had two credentials, sir."

"Thank you, Private Keller," he said before turning to Hermione, and holding out his hand, which she took gingerly.

"It's good to have you here, Dr. Granger. We have currently a small field team of CDC scientists from Baton Rouge, here who examines those infected. I'm sure that they will appreciate your help. Private Keller, Private Fuller, you are assigned to Dr. Granger from now on."

"Yes, sir!" both chorused and saluted before they led Hermione out of the tent, who looked momentarily surprised. She actually believed that he would have had arrested her for the things she had admitted.

"Don't worry, Dr. Granger. Staff Sergeant Smith is a hard man to everyone," Private Fuller said with a gentle voice, which caused Keller to look at him confused. Hermione only nodded silently and followed the two soldiers.

* * *

**23****rd**** May 2011, Alexandria, Rapides Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

It had been several days, since Hermione arrived at the compound, stationed near the sealed off airport at Alexandria. During her stay, she had been briefed in Project Wildfire, a program run by the CDC and US Military, to erase and solve this disease, as soon as possible.

Additionally, Hermione made sure that the scientists discovered the truth and that they began to realize that these turned people weren't simply infected or some sort of mutated variation of a rabies infescted victims. They were dead, not alive in any way. With the help of the soldiers, Hermione showed them some footages of fights, confrontations, and the physical injuries of those things, which proved in itself that they could never be alive. Soon, they accepted the situation as it was and began to move forward. Together they strategized the approach they would take to find a solution, a cure for this unknown disease, which was the essential part of Project Wildfire. In addition to that, they worked in their free time, on theories of possible explanations for this plague that killed thousands, if not millions of people.

The CDC team had a little makeshift lab, in where they tested and examined the blood and tissue samples. It wasn't enough and they knew that they would need a full functional lab, in order to finally understand with what they were dealing with. And that's where they were heading today. After having enough samples, they would begin to work at the CDC, located at Baton Rouge and hopefully, find a cure.

Her thoughts drifted towards Harry, Ron, and all her friends and colleagues. Several times, she had tried to call the WHO in England, but to no avail. No one was picking up the phone. Not even Dr. Scott McMillan, a virologist and close friend of hers, had answered her calls and after the next day, his phone stopped ringing at all. Hermione ask the two soldiers, if they could get information about the WHO in England, and unfortunately, due to the difficult connection and communication link, they couldn't reach them. Hermione didn't want to think about the reason why they weren't taking her calls, but with each passing day, she knew that he had probably not survived.

With the new information the CDC team had gathered, and the help that had Hermione provided, they needed to return back to the CDC in Baton Rouge, today. There they had planned to begin their work on Project Wildfire and inform the other CDC facilities, as well as other Health Organizations, of their findings. This would save them precious time and many lives. They assume that by informing the necessary organizations and beginning the purge phase, that they could at least defend and protect the people properly, until they figured out what was going on.

Suddenly, shots rang out, which put everyone on high alert. The second in command soldier shouted into the mic, "STATUS! SOMEONE GIVE ME STATUS NOW! OVER!"

More shots came out, but then the a panicked voice spoke, "SIR, THEY BROKE THROUGH THE AIRPORT BARRICADES. THE INFECTED PEOPLE ATTACK US. THERE ARE FORTY OR FIFTY HEADING FROM THE WEST SIDE. WE CAN'T STOP THEM!"

The staff sergeant walked into the tent and immediately asked in an angry voice, "What the hell is going on? Who authorized the attack?"

"Sir, the airport barricades have been breached by the infected."

"Do we have a visual?" the Staff Seargent asked the people in the control room. Several of the soldiers were typing furiously and suddenly, the screens showed live footage of the breached area. Hermione gasped in shock and horror at what she saw. Hundreds of them were walking towards them. The soldiers were shooting with their weapons, while screaming commands to one another, but there were too many of those things. Even she knew that they wouldn't be able to contain such a situation again.

The soldiers in the tent had a similar reaction. Shock, anger, disbelief, and fear, were written all over their faces.

"Initiate phase BLACK FIRE. Activate the Alpha and Bravo teams. The operation begins in five minutes."

Hermione must have looked confused, because Pvt. Fuller leaned closer and explained quietly, "The Sergeant ordered the evacuation and full attack on the enemy, from the ground and air attack."

Hermione nodded in thanks and watched the Sergeant give out orders to anyone who was close to him. He looked, so sure of himself. Not even a trace of worry or fear could be seen on his hardened face.

"Show me the CDC area!"

Someone typed furiously on the keyboard, until one screen showed the CDC truck and tent. At the sight of it, Hermione's hand flew to her mouth in horror. Most of the scientists lay unmoving on the ground, as several of those undead things were feasted on them. Two others tried to defend themselves with, what she recognized to be medical equipments. But before anyone could say something, or order someone to get them out there, five more of these things attacked and bit them, while they screamed in agony.

Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes at the terrified sight in front of her. Even after the screen was turned to something else, Hermione couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"Private Keller, Fuller, take Dr. Granger and get her out of here. Miller, can you get me a live footage from Baton Rouge?"

After a moment of more typing, the screen showed a satellite feed of the current situation of the city, which showed street fights, riots, shots against those things, the roads were completely blocked by cars, and everywhere were those things.

"Show me Port Folk with a five miles radius, outside the compound."

Another footage displayed moments later, which showed a much quieter area with barely any of those things. He addressed the two soldiers, who stood next to Hermione and said, "Get her to Fort Polk, as fast as possible. I will inform the General of the package."

"Sir, yes, sir!" they saluted before, and with a nod towards Hermione, he returned back to his men and gave out orders for an immediate evacuation.

"Listen up, everyone! I want the breached area damage controlled by seven hundred. Get to work!"

"SIR, YES, SIR!" Everyone shouted and went to either work on the computers, talk on the phones, or leave the tent.

"Dr. Granger, do you have anything?" Fuller asked and got her attention.

Hermione shook her head and said in a shaken voice, "My backpack is still in the tent."

"Alright, let's go."

It took them a few minutes to reach the tent and get everything ready. Luckily, Hermione had already packed everything the same morning her.

Just as they reached the military vehicle, at the parking area, two of those things came towards them. Hermione instinctively rushed to take out her wand, but stopped as she saw both soldiers pulling out their guns and aiming it at them. They shot in the chest first, until Hermione shouted, "THE HEAD! YOU HAVE TO SHOOT THEIR HEAD!" Both soldiers, followed the command immediately, and watched as those two things fell unmoving to the ground.

They were ready to go to their cars, when seven of those things came from a direction. Both soldiers immediately put Hermione behind and between themselves, as they moved towards the cars, while shooting at the things. Even though they shot them in the head, more came from behind. Hermione pulled out her wand, making sure both soldiers couldn't see it, and started to cast nonverbal cutting hexes at those things closer to her. The soldiers didn't even look up at the flash of lights, probably believing that it was from a gun, shot by someone else.

They reached the first car available that had the keys in the slot, as they ushered Hermione into the car's backseat. Fuller was about to open his passenger seat when suddenly someone bit down on his forearm. Hermione screamed in shock, which was overturned by the painful loud scream of the soldier. Keller shot the thing in the head, and forgot to pay attention to his own safety, as he suddenly screamed and looked down. Hermione looked out the window and one of those things that had apparently slithered its way across the pavement and bit into the soldier's calf. Keller furiously shot at the thing several times before he shut the door, without climbing in. Fuller followed his example and Hermione looked at the two soldiers confused.

"You need to drive this way down, until you see the North Checkpoint sign and get out of the city. In the glove box you will find a map, got directly to Fort Polk. They will help you there," Keller said.

"But-"

Her words were cut off by another series of shots until Keller said, "We are infected, doc; don't need to explain to you what this means. If we stay with you, we would become a threat to your life at some point."

Tears began to fall, as Hermione looked at them both. She knew they were right but it was still unfair.

"Go, Dr. Granger," Fuller said, smiling sadly.

Hermione nodded as she climbed into the driver's seat and turned on the engine.

"Here take this," Keller said, as he holds out a gun for her. She shook her head, refusing to take a weapon from the still fighting man. She wasn't defenseless; they just didn't know it.

"I can't shoot. Don't know how they work. Would only cause more harm than good, if I take one of those."

After a moment, the soldier nodded and more of those things suddenly came the same direction, and both began to shoot furiously.

"GO!"

With one last glance at the brave soldiers, Hermione pushed down onto the pedal, before she took a full turn and drove off. A glance in her rearview mirror, showed both soldiers standing in front of those creatures and killing each one of them with one well aimed shot.

She wiped the ongoing tears fast away. After a few minutes she reached the exit point. Suddenly, shots came from everywhere, and some of the bullets came against the door and window, without breaching the car. Hermione sighed in relief, as she kept driving outside the city, as she heard bombs going off. She looked with wide eyes into the rearview she saw flames and flashing lights filling the darkening day.

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

*1) the Radio station exists (googled it) but never listed to it before, therefore, I apologize in advance for any mistakes, I've made.

*2) from the Prologue


	7. Chapter 6 - Timeless Death

DISCLAIMER: I do not claim any rights on Harry Potter or The Walking Dead.

A/N: I feel so happy about all the amazing reviews. The response was simply overwhelming. A big thanks goes to uoduck and my friend Gavin S., for beta reading this story. Thank you all so much!

I hope you will like this chapter. It's one of my favorites.

* * *

**Chapter 6 - Timeless Death **

* * *

**26****th**** May 2011, Hogwarts, Scotland **

**Harry **

"Kingsley plans to set up the Wizarding Wireless by tomorrow. He wants to establish some sort of communication between the radio and the people. A spell developed by a Canadian wizard two years ago, could give everyone the ability to turn their radio into a communication device. A button would appear which should give people a way to call the Wireless. Fortunately, we have Mr and Mrs Crowden with us, who work, as many of you know, for the Wizarding Wireless. How long would it take for you to set up the station?" Headmistress McGonagall asked the couple, who had been rescued and arrived with Harry from Hogsmeade.

The teachers' room, in which McGonagall held the meeting, was completely full. Every adult had attended in order to help with the situation. For the past two hours, strategies and plans had been thought and developed about the situation in Hogwarts regarding the children and how to cope with their probable loss. They had thought that the new plan would need to be developed especially since several children couldn't reach their parents by owl anymore.

Harry had brought up the suggestion about the magical children enlisted in the Hogwarts attending book. The ancient magic on the tomb allowed it to locate the children wherever they were or lived. McGonagall and Flitwick would need to come up with a way to duplicate the trace on an object, which would help to locate those children and their families and get them to safety.

Just as the Crowden's explained the procedure of setting up the Wireless station in one of the abandoned classrooms, the Headgirl stormed into the meeting and before McGonagall could scold her, she exclaimed in panic, "Headmistress! There are wizards outside of Hogwarts and- and want to come in, but we told them that they couldn't and …and Robert and I told everyone to go inside, but- but then he told me to get you."

Harry jumped out of his seat and addressed the Headgirl himself, "How many are there?"

"Fifteen or sixteen I think, Mr- uh, Auror Potter," she answered still very pale.

"Dear Merlin!" someone exclaimed shocked at the information.

"Where is Mr Barnes now, Ms Heard?" McGonagall asked in a tight voice.

"He wanted to get the other students inside. I-I think he is still outside."

Harry turned towards his Auror in training, William Whitening, who immediately walked next to him. Harry turned towards the McGonagall and said, "We will go ahead, Headmistress."

She only nodded and turned towards the group in the room, as Harry walked out of the room, not waiting to see what the others would do.

He looked at his Auror and said, "I want you to assess each and everyone one of those men. If one of them raises their wand at us, we will attack. Understood Whitening?"

The Auror only nodded and hurried alongside Harry to the entrance. Just before they reached the gate, Harry saw the Headboy ushering the younger children inside. Everyone of them looked pale and fearful.

"Get them to their dormitory, Mr Barnes" Harry ordered. "Inform the Prefects to stay in there, to make sure that everyone is accountable until we get you, alright."

"Yes, sir… Mr Potter… will they attack us?"

Harry gave him an assured smile and spoke in a calm voice, "Everything will be alright, don't worry. Nothing will happen, while you are in Hogwarts. These wards are one of the strongest out there."

The boy sighed in relief and nodded with smile, before he resumed his work. Harry watched him finish getting the children inside.

As soon as the Headboy was inside, he said to Whitening in a quite voice, "Always assure them that you have everything in control, never try to give them room to panic. People who are emotional or frightened make mistakes or get others in danger,"

The Auror in training nodded attentively, just as they reached the outside gate. The moment they walked out, they saw the group of wizards. Even at the distance, Harry could almost feel the darkness within these men and at a closer look recognized a few of them.

"Many of them are thieves, dark objects traders, and the leader of them, Brash, was in Azkaban for creating illegal and dark objects," Harry whispered to Whitening as they slowly walked towards the wards, the stone knights had already drawn their weapons and were ready to fight.

"You have no business here, Brash," Harry addressed the leader of the group.

"Well, hello to you too, Potter. Looking good there. Anyway, my men and I saw this enormous ward even from the outskirts of Hogsmeade, which is really a mess, by the way. So, we decided to join the party."

"There is no place for you or your men here, Brash. Leave! Now!" Harry ordered angrily. He wouldn't let any of them near the children. They were the worst people he had ever seen since the last Death Eater had been captured and it wouldn't take a lot for them to attack the Aurors.

Brash only laughed and his men did the same. "You and this lad, next to you will hold us?"

"We will also fight you, human. There is no place for you. Leave now of face the wrath of Hogwarts!" a familiar voice spoke out. Everyone looked at the source of it and saw an army of Centaurs at the edge of Forbidden Forest, near the ward. It seemed as if Firenze was leading the group of Centaurs and next to him stood Magorian and Bane. All of them were armed with bows and arrows, pointing them at the men. Harry was completely taken aback by the response of the Centaurs, and was relieved to see them.

"HA! These bloody half-breeds are all you've got, Potter?!" someone shouted and laughed, a few followed suit.

"Watch your tongue, you pathetic wizard! These are friends of us and Hogwarts," McGonagall spoke up forcefully. Harry turned towards the direction of McGonagall and saw almost every adult and teacher coming from the same direction with their wands in their hands.

The group of men began to look more worried now.

"Well, if you won't let us in…we will just have to take it over, right, men?" Brash challenged threateningly. A chorus of 'yea's' was said, before they raised their wands and began to attack the wards, with a constant stream of dark magic.

Immediately, five stone knights walked outside the ward and attacked the wizards closest to them. The Centaurs began shooting their arrows, while the witches and wizards attacked them by magic, from the ground and even the towers.

The group of wizards didn't stand a chance and soon many of them fell injured to the ground or fled from the castle's attack. Loud cheers erupted by the witches, wizards, and even the Centaurs. Harry looked on with relief as he watched the men became more distant, until they finally disappeared.

—

**27****th**** May 2011, Hogwarts, Scotland **

**Harry **

On the highest tower of Hogwarts, stood a lone figure, watching the sun set. Ending another day of chaos and beginning the night of horror. It had taken him a while to come up here again, after the warding with McGonagall. The memory of night that had changed his young life and that of his friends had been still vividly planted in his mind. Being here in the Astronomy Tower helped him oddly. It gave him solace and brought him peace.

Especially, after the last few days he had experienced. Harry had been beside himself as Hermione's Patronus arrived, telling him that she was on her own after the safety zone in Alexandria got overrun. Now, she was alone and on her way to a military base, which should give Hermione enough protection. He wanted to leave, go and help her, either by getting home or finding a health organization facility to find out what's going on. But he didn't have the means nor did he have the possibility to leave.

Especially, after informing Minister Shacklebolt, who took refuge at the Longbottom Manor, of the attack on Hogwarts. He wanted Harry there until further notice. They needed him at Hogwarts to make sure that the children were safe. According to him, Harry's presence made the children and the families of the children, feel more safe and calm.

Harry felt frustrated by the task. His friends were out there. Ron was at Grimmauld Place with Bill's family and Hermione was somewhere in Louisiana and he was stuck at the most protected place on earth. The only useful thing he could do was to help strategize and plan for the next weeks and months, and have a mirror call meeting with Kingsley and Ron.

"Dad?" a familiar voice chimed next to him, and halted him in his trail of thoughts. With a smile, he turned to his left and found his godson, who was more of a son to him. His eyes had turned the same shade of green as Harry's and even wore the same unmanageable black hair. Apparently, it was cool this way. He stood close to the entrance, with a worried look on his face. "Is everything ok?"

"Yes, don't worry, Teddy. I just needed a place to think," Harry assured him with a smile.

Teddy walked closer, until he stood next him. "You are worried about Aunt Mione, aren't you?"

"Yes. I wish I could get her home or at least help her," he confessed. He never lied to him and didn't plan to do it now. Since Teddy officially lived with him at the age of five, after Andromeda's death due to declining health, shortly after the end of the war. Both Teddy and Harry had soon developed a close father/son relationship.

"Is there no way to get her home?"

"I'm working on it. Unfortunately, all international transportations and portkeys have been shut down. Pretty much every magical community has declared a State of Emergency, as well. Anyway, I'm trying to find with Kingsley's help, a magical method of transportation that could get me there and can handle the distance, without stopping or having to recharge, but more importantly, can get Hermione and myself back."

"You… You will leave?" Teddy's voice began to tremble. "Can I come with you? Please?"

"No, Teddy," Harry said firmly. "It's too dangerous out there. I don't want to put you in any harms way. Trust me, you are safe here."

Teddy looked away, but not before Harry didn't see the tears in his eyes. Without another word, Harry pulled him into his arms as the tears soaked his shirt. Harry rubbed his back gently and let him calm down.

"I don't want to lose you too, dad," Teddy muttered against his shirt. "You are the only family I have left."

"That's not true, Teddy. You have still your Aunt Mione, Uncle Ron, and the whole Weasley family. And don't forget your friends, here."

This time Teddy didn't say anything. He took a step back and dried his tears, before he changed the topic and asked, "What about a magical creature? Couldn't they travel for so long?"

Harry knew that it was too hard for him to talk about this. He would need to talk to him before he had to leave. Harry shook his head at Teddy's question and explained, "I already considered it. But the distant is too great and without letting the creature take breaks, it would endanger us both. Besides, after arriving there, how am I supposed to hide it? The Statute of Secrecy is still in place, Teddy. I don't think it would be good idea to reveal ourselves to the Muggles, even in such a situation."

His bright green eyes lit up in understanding. "They would fear us and probably blame us for this mess. 'Fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all.'(*1)"

Harry smiled proudly at his godson, before he put an arm over his should. "Looks like your Aunt Mione's genius has rubbed off on you after all."

Teddy grinned shyly and turned his hair red, unconsciously.

"Harry?" a voice called out, one he had tried to avoid as much as possible. He groaned silently, which made Teddy snigger at him. Harry only glared at him playfully, before he reluctantly answered, "Yeah, Ginny. Teddy and I are here."

Teddy only grinned at the display, as his hair turned back to its messy black. He knew how much Ginny annoyed Harry, and he took full advantages of it, by teasing him mercilessly.

The moment Ginny appeared, Teddy grinned widely before greeting her over enthusiastically, "Hi Aunt Ginny!"

Harry only rolled his eyes and let them talk. He wasn't in the mood for her, but knew that she would corner him again, sooner or later.

"Teddy, could I talk with Harry alone for a bit?" Ginny asked as she looked at Harry intently. It took him everything not to roll his eyes at her.

"Sure, no problem. See you later, dad," Teddy called out and walked towards the door, but not before he grimaceed at Harry, whose lips twitched in amusement. Payback would be so sweet, he thought as his son, in everything but blood, disappeared.

With a heavy sigh, he turned towards his ex-girlfriend and asked, "What can I do for you, Ginny?"

Their relationship had ended years ago. Harry couldn't continue to pretend that he felt something for her, let alone love. He cared for Ginny, but not as much as he did for Ron, Hermione, or Teddy. He never once experienced those overwhelming feelings, heart racing, or felt uncontrollable love, as everyone described their loved ones. Even after the break up with her, he couldn't find any other woman who could make him feel all those things. Sometimes he wondered if he was just not able to feel that way for anyone. Maybe he was just not meant to be in love with someone?

Their friendship was never back to the way it was, due to her constant attempts to get back together. There was a distance between them now. Oddly, it was like the first years of Hogwarts, where he was just disinterested in her.

She moved closer, too close for his taste, and before he could question her again, she had grabbed his shirt, pulled him forcefully down, and crushed her lips against his. Shocked at the sudden move, Harry stood for a moment motionless. He didn't return the kiss, as he firmly grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Ginerva?" Harry hissed angrily, as he wiped his mouth clean on his sleeve. He ignored the hurt look she was giving him.

"Harry, I… I know that we have faced some hardship in the past and I think-"

"Hardship?" Harry asked incredulously. "We broke up. I broke up with you. This is no hardship, it's going separate ways, Ginny!"

"No, Harry. We are meant for each other. Always have been. I mean look at us! This situation! We are here where everything began. Us against the world! This is a sign Harry, It's like destiny pushed us back together," she said in a hopeful voice.

Harry could only stare in complete disbelief at the woman before him. He didn't know if he should laugh, run, or put her in place. Deciding for the latter, instead of the former, which would have only delayed the inevitable, Harry set her straight, "I don't know where you get your delusion, Ginny, but I am so not the man you want. I was never the hero you had envisioned yourself, since you were a child. I can't be the man you need, nor do I want to be. You and I simply don't work out. Never have and never will!"

Her face turned into a frown before she glared at him, which showed her true temper behind her sweet facade. "It's Hermione, isn't it? You have always put her before me and even now, I can tell that you want her more than you want me. Just admit it, you have a secret relationship with her, that's why you send at least three Patronus a day. Is she the reason you broke up with me?"

Harry couldn't believe his ears. "Have you gone bloody mental? Hermione is all alone in a different continent and in the most dangerous situation anyone of us has ever been. Hermione is my family, like a sister I never had, and you know this!" He shook his head and gave her a disgusted look.

"This crap only shows your true color and is exactly why I ended our relationship in the first place. Merlin, it was the biggest mistake of my life to have thought that I could have any feelings for you, let alone start a relationship!"

Ginny's face dropped and her eyes began to rear up, but Harry was so furious that he didn't care. "Do me a favor, avoid me in the future. I have nothing else to say to you," he said, before he turned around and angrily walked away.

* * *

**28****th**** May 2011, Hogwarts, Scotland **

**Harry**

"Hello everyone, here is the Wizarding Wireless Network. I'm Dean Thomas and…"

"I'm Susan Memnos," a woman spoke in a gentle voice.

"We hope that all of you are safe wherever you are and have been since our first airing yesterday, spread the news of this radio channel," Dean continued.

"We will begin first with the News. With the information we were able to gather, the walking undead have appeared in all the major cities, and the smaller populated towns, in the United Kingdom, Scotland, and Wales. The Muggle police and military are still trying to take control of the situation.

"Other countries face the same uncontrollable outbreak. The Muggle side of Madrid appears to be lost and out of control. Our European magical neighbors have now all called out the State of Emergency and sealed most of their cities, towns, village, and alleys. This may go against all my Gryffindor principles, but I, we, the Wizarding Wireless Network, ask all of you not to attempt to go out to seek your friends and families. Even with your magic at your side, you won't be able to defend or protect yourself or others."

"Dean is right," Susan spoke up. "Minister Shacklebolt gave us the number of Auror casualties since the first day of the State of Emergency. Since that day, 79 Aurors, Hitwizards, and Auror Trainees have lost their lives, defending and protecting us. These brave witches and wizards were trained, as well as prepared for the situation, and yet, they were overwhelmed by the danger. So, please stay home and don't risk your lives by going out. Instead, try to send a message via Patronus, or if you can't do the spell, send a message via owl. That way your friends and families will be able to reach your home, safely."

"Another topic," Dean cuts in. "Two days ago, a group of wizards tried to attack and breach the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Luckily, the wards are impenetrably to any magical and non-magical attack. Additionally, Head Auror Harry Potter, with several other adults, teachers, and even the Centaurs were also there to defend the school. A great relief for every parent whose child is currently at Hogwarts. For those wizards who tried to attack the school, we have only one thing to say to you. You should be ashamed of yourself! Attacking a school full of children is the lowest form of scum on earth! Shame on you!"

"Anyway, how did it come to such circumstances you ask?" Susan cut in. "Head Auror Harry Potter and Auror in Training William Whitening were on the site during the attack. For anyone who doesn't known, Auror Potter and Whitening were in Hogsmeade with several other Aurors, when the outbreak occurred. His quick thinking saved many people and the children in Hogwarts, by mobilizing a small group during the outbreak, many of them adults and shop owners and going to Hogwarts to warn the school of the growing danger. Elizabeth and Peter Crowden, our other radio crew, were among the adults going to Hogwarts to protect the school and raise the wards. We are currently in contact with Hogwarts and will inform and even report from there in a few days."

"We also wanted to thank everyone who was able to send and share information via Patronus or an owl. Thank you so much! There is also another way to contact us. A spell that will provide your radio to enable it to give us a direct line to call. But before we explain the techniques of the spell and how to cast it, we would like to introduce our latest program, which will be aired every three hours. It's called LifeWatch and will share and provide you, the listeners, with useful spells, potions, runes, or other magic to protect and defend yourself. Anyone, who has something to share, let us now and save lives! So, now we will explain how you can cast the spell on your radio to call us. Your call will be transferred to a radio station here and we will take down all your information. Now, listen up…" said Dean and went to explain the details of the spell.

Harry looked around the Great Hall, which was filled with every student and adult. Everyone was listening to the radio, hoping to hear from their families. Many of the children, especially, the youngest of them, had red rimmed eyes and looked pale. His heart went out to them and he hoped that their families were safe somewhere.

He was glad that at least the Wireless project 'LifeWatch' would begin and hopefully, would help the people in the future. His thoughts drifted back to Hermione. He hadn't heard from her in hours and he began to worry about her. He wished he could help her as well and be there for her.

With a sigh, he silently stood up and walked out of the hall. He needed to be alone for a while, to think of the option he had to get Hermione back home.

He didn't know where he was going, only noticed when he was outside that he had left the castle. Just as he was about to return back, he spotted Firenze at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Surprised to see him there, he looked at first confused at the Centaur, who nod in greeting before beckoning for Harry to follow him. With a slight frown, Harry did just that and walked silently next to the Centaur, who had become the leader of their race.

"Did you know, Harry Potter, that reading the planets had been made by the first ever Centaur? It was said that he could simply look upon the sky and tell you of the future so far, that he would never be able to witness it himself, or that of his children's children. From him, we have learned how to read the Planets and understand them. It is said that the universe is not only endless but sentient. Filled with darkness and lightness, such as we never knew nor would ever understand."

Harry stayed silent, and let Firenze talk.

"But as I told you, the first time we have met here, 'the planets have been read wrongly before now'. I had hoped that this was the case again."

Harry stood still. His eyes widened as he looked at the centaur. "You knew this would happen?" Harry asked, not able to control his shock and anger.

"Yes and no, Harry Potter," Firenze began to explain, calmly. "The stars and planets showed an arriving threat that has the power to put this earth and every living form into the darkness."

"Why haven't you told this to anyone?"

"Who would have listened?"

"I would have! I would have convinced the others!"

"Yes, and where would you have looked? Hunted a dark witch or wizard, believing the threat to be of human nature? What would you have done if you had been warned years beforehand and only to fail in stopping the threat? And you would have, Harry Potter. You would have blamed yourself for all the deaths and misery of this earth will face. I don't have to scry the stars to know that you are already blaming yourself for not helping more people, saving more lives. Even if you had convinced your Minster of Magic and you would have tried to find the dark witch or wizard, it would have brought a catastrophic outcome. Unrest, chaos, fear, and anger would have grown before the unavoidable arrived…Sometimes we are helpless to witness the darkness approaching. Like life and death… not able to control it," he sighed heavily as he stood still and looked upon the darkening sky.

Harry frowned at his words, before he asked, "You said that I would have hunted dark witches and wizards and believing that they were the reason behind this. Does it mean that it's not caused by any magic?"

Firenze turned to look at him, and raised an eyebrow. "You already know the answer to your question, Harry Potter."

"Do you know what it is? This darkness?"

"No. The only thing I know, is that this darkness is new…something different… something that has already changed and grew."

"Do you know how to stop this? Is there a way to stop this?" Harry could hear his voice taking a pleading tone, but he didn't care. He couldn't breath as he waited for an answer.

"No, the stars haven't shown any information on how to stop it, but what they show is hope. There is a way to defeat the darkness. The brightest witch will have the weapon to defeat the darkness and you, Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world, will provide the strength. Together you will be able to save this world. Without you, she will fail and without her, there is no hope. Many enemies and strong allies will be in both your path."

"Hermione," Harry said to himself. He knew immediately that only she could have been described as the brightest witch. He pushed his hand through his hair in frustration. "I need to go to her. Help her."

Firenze nodded, as he turned around and slowly walked back, "The time will come soon, Harry Potter, when a new path will show itself for you. Your journey with Hermione Granger will be difficult. Filled with tragedy and yet happiness, a destiny you were both meant to be go through."

Harry let his words sink in, before he frowned and looked up at the Centaur next to him. "You've mentioned Hermione and myself, but what about Ron? Doesn't he go with us?"

"No, Harry Potter. Ronald Weasley will face his own destiny. The act of selflessness and greatest bravery awaits him."

Harry smiled at that thought and joked, "He will be happy to hear that he will be a hero again."

Both walked in silence for a while, before Firenze broke it again. "Do not blame yourself for the lives you couldn't and won't save, Harry Potter. Sometimes, it wasn't meant to be and sometimes it was."

Harry nodded at his words. He didn't know if he should feel flustered or abashed at the thought that obviously, even the Centaurs had heard of his saving people complex, as Hermione put it.

Just as they reached the Hogwarts ground again, Harry asked a question that had been nagging at him for a while, "Was this the reason the Centaur colony wanted to be part of the Hogwarts protection wards?"

"Yes and no," Firenze admitted. "Even before we knew about the arriving darkness, we were unprotected during the battle. We had lost many family members. Even without the threat, we would have liked to be included into the protection ward. But what convinced the more… traditional Centaur to join Hogwarts, were the signs of the stars and planets that showed us of the new darkness."

Harry nodded and walked the rest of the way in silence. His thoughts were filled with the information of Firenze. He was now even more so determined to find a way to get to Hermione, before it's too late. He would have to ask if Ron would come as well, but on the other hand, he had his family here and they would need him.

Both had finally reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Goodbye, Harry Potter. I hope that the stars and planets are right and we will see each other again, after your journey."

Harry gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Firenze."

He nodded once and turned around to walk back into the forest, he stopped for a moment and looked back at Harry. His eyes looked sadly back at him, "Don't lose your hope, Harry Potter, even if you believe that all is lost…sometimes, you just have to find it again…and you will, if you don't give up."

Harry didn't know what to say at his riddled word. He watched in silence as the Centaur returned into the woods.

—

**29****th**** May 2011, Hogwarts, Scotland **

**Harry**

"Your sure this will work, Professor?" Harry asked for the umpteenth time towards Professor Flitwick and Vector.

"Yes, yes, of course, Mr Potter," Professor Flitwick assured his former student patiently. "We send a package to Mr Longbottom and one other to a wizarding family in France. Both packages arrived without a hitch," he giggled, as he double-checked the given coordinates.

"Hermione would kill me if I let something get damaged or lost… or broken." Now he knew why Ron gave him Hermione's possession. The thought of anything happening to her beaded handbag made Harry sweat. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"Mr Potter, are you doubting my calculation?" Professor Vector challenged Harry. He only gulped at the stern teacher and shook his head. "Good, now let the man work."

Teddy sniggered at Harry, who only glared at him half menacingly. Everyone watched as Professor Flitwick put several protection spells and wards on Hermione's beaded handbag to make it travel fit. Professor Flitwick and Vector had been working on a way to transport goods and objects from one place to another, without damaging the content and making it arrive safely. This was the reason why was Harry so nervous. They planned to send Hermione her bag, with all her stuff, food, other supplies and a two-way mirror, which Professor Flitwick created for Hermione and was actually connected to several mirrors, including that of Professor McGonagall, Minister Shacklebolt, and Harry's. Hermione had already sent the coordinates of her location and would wait until either her bag arrived or a Patronus.

"Well, I don't think that it can get any better than this," the short Professor grinned happily. He pointed his wand at the little bag and began to cast a long complicated spell with all the coordinates in Latin. It boggled his mind as he listened to the long spell.

But as soon as he stopped casting, the bag disappeared with a little 'woosh'. Harry held his mirror tightly. His heart was beating fast as he waited for the long awaited call. It felt like forever, when suddenly the mirror vibrated in his hand and a gentle voice called out his name.

"Hermione!" Harry called and opened the mirror.

Hermione beamed at him happily, "It worked! I can't believe that I'm seeing you again. I… I thought that I would never…" her voice broke off, as she blinked the tears away. Harry noticed her appearance, but decided against to comment on it. She looked bad. Similar to when they were on the run. Her hair wasn't combed, clothes looked worn and old, probably from too much magical cleaning and she looked thinner. But her eyes were what worried him most. They had deep dark circles under them and looked so haunted.

"Hey, its alright Mione… don't worry, we will see each other again."

"I'm just so glad to see you again," she confessed with an emotional voice.

"You can thank the best Professors the Wizarding World has in Charms and Arithmancy. They figured out how to do that… don't ask me how… I'm still overwhelmed by the performance."

Hermione gasped and greeted her former professors and the adults in the room. Harry could see that everyone was putting on a brave face but as soon as they handed the mirror to someone else they face fell and looked deeply concerned. Harry didn't need to use Legilimency to read their minds, to know what they were thinking.

Teddy sneaked upon Molly and snatched the mirror away and called out happily, "Hey Aunt Mione! I miss you!"

Harry glimpsed Hermione's smile, and watched both of them talk for a bit. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Ginny walking out of the room. Several people in the room looked at her strangely and Harry only shook his head. He had avoided her like hell, ever since the Astronomy Tower incident. For a brief moment he wondered if the tower was cursed.

After a few minutes Harry finally got a hold of the mirror again and walked away to get some privacy.

"Sorry, looks like many people missed you," Harry smiled at her, which she returned.

"I miss all of you terribly, Harry. I'm glad that we can talk this way. Creating a Patronus was getting more difficult." At his confused look, she explained, "Recalling happy memories and feeling them become almost an impossibility… if you see what I see…" she trailed off, unable to continue as the haunted look grew in her eyes.

"I'm looking into a way to come and get you, or at least help you-"

"No, Harry. Stay where you are. You… you shouldn't be here… Hogwarts is safer."

"Forget it, Hermione. I'm coming, if you like it or not," Harry said sternly. "You are my best friend, a sister I never had, Teddy's godmother… you are family, Hermione. I can't just leave you there alone. If you need to stay there to help find a cure, I will stay with you, but I will come over, as soon as I figure out a way to reach you."

By now tears fell from Hermione's eyes and she cried in earnest.

"Hey, it's ok…everything will be alright."

"No, it won't be, Harry. You…you don't know how horrible this infection, virus, or whatever this is, truly is… how… how those things attack and destroy any living being. And… and the people…. the living people they start to become worse… worst kind of humanity."

Harry paled and asked urgently, "Did something happen?"

Hermione snored before she brushed with a hand the tears away. "What did not happen, Harry?"

He exhaled heavily before he voiced his thoughts, "I wish I was there now."

He let Hermione collect herself before he asked, "Where are you now? Unfortunately, I am still not a walking geographic book, so the numbers didn't tell me a thing."

She managed a half smile before she said, "I am in the forest at the moment. I think I will be out off the woods by tomorrow. It's been six days since I've been here. Believe it or not, it is much safer in the forest than in the streets or near populated areas. I'm still a few days away from the military station, I think. With all the road block, people, and these undead things, it takes longer to travel."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. He didn't want to think of the possibility if there wasn't a military base anymore. He worried that it was also overrun with the turned people, but he didn't voice his concerns. Not wanting to worry Hermione, any more than she already is. Instead he explained his talk with Firenze and the things he said.

Hermione frowned deeply and said, "I wish I could view your memory, Harry. Something tells me that it's more to it than we realize."

Harry nodded, but before he could voice out his theory, Auror Whitening rushed to him, with a worried look on his face.

"Auror Potter, there is a situation outside."

He nodded at him and turned towards Hermione, but before he could say anything, Hermione said, "Go, Harry. Call me later alright."

"I will, Hermione. You take care of yourself and be safe."

"You too, Harry. Be careful." With a small worried smile, she ended the call. Harry put the mirror into his pocket and followed the Auror.

"What happened?" Harry asked. His mind trailing back to the attack a few days ago and he hoped that they didn't try to attack the school again.

Just as the young Auror opened his mouth to explain, Headmistress McGonagall rushed in, looking pale and completely beside herself, as she walked beside them to the entrance. Harry couldn't remember the last time the tough Headmistress looked this frazzled.

"Mr Potter, I… we can't lower the wards, it would be too dangerous and it would leave the school defenseless for months. It would take too long to recharge the wards again."

Harry looked confused at McGonagall and said, "What do you mean, Headmistress? What's going on?"

Her confused gaze looked at the Auror in training. "Haven't you already informed him about the situation?"

"No, Headmistress. I was just about to do that," he said in a worried voice. McGonagall muttered something Harry couldn't catch, as they reached the outside, which stopped him in his tracks. Before him stood two women and a man with four children around them. They looked like the age of a toddler up to probably seven or eight years old.

"Please! We need your help! We…we don't have anywhere to go."

Harry's eyes widened and his heart beat frantically in his chest, at the scene before him. They were utterly helpless. Their clothes were dirty and torn, the children wore a haunted look on their tear streamed face and the adults had a look of such hopelessness and despair, that Harry hadn't seen since the war.

McGonagall tried to explain with a helpless voice that she couldn't put the wards down, without putting the children of this school in danger.

On his side, near the Forbidden Forest, he saw the Centaurs with their bows and arrows pointed, prepared to protect and fight. Firenze's dark eyes looked directly into Harry's and gave him a small nod.

_The time will come soon, Harry Potter, when a new path will show itself for you… _

Firenze's words echoed in his mind, and he knew that the time to leave was here. He looked back at the family. He could already see from afar three of those undead people approaching them. A small girl saw them as well and began to scream in panic, which set everyone on alert and panic as soon as they saw them.

Harry looked back at Teddy who stood at the entrance of the school, completely pale, while his hair had changed to a sickly green color. He gave his son a small smile before he turned back towards the group and without a word walked out of the wards. Everyone shouted and called his name, but he didn't listen to them, as he walked straight towards those undead people and with well-aimed cutting spells killed them.

He turned back towards the castle, and said to the shocked group of people, "I need to go. Hermione needs me."

Several adults nodded, with shocked expressions on their face. Harry turned towards the Auror in Training and told him, "You will stay here and hold the position, until this whole mess is solved, Whiteling. I trust you and know that you can handle the situation."

The Auror gulped and could only nod at Harry's order.

He looked back at Teddy who was barely holding back his tears, as he said, "I will get your bag, dad." And without another word he ran back into the school, soon followed by Professor Flitwick, Malfoy, and Ollivander.

He explained to the Headmistress and the small family that he would take them to Grimmauld Place with a Portkey, which he had created out of a tie that the man of the group provided. He also sent a Patronus to Ron, informing him that he will arrive at his place shortly.

The professors and the wand maker returned back first, carrying a bag and a box with them. Without further notice, the small Charms Professor levitated a bag towards Harry, as he explained, "You will find protection clothes in them. They should keep you protected, like Dragonhide would. Not as strong, mind you, but it comes close."

Harry took the small bag and noticed immediately that it had an extendable and feather-light charm on.

"Thank you, Professor."

"You will also find some potions in there, Potter," Malfoy spoke up. "First aid things, Blood-Replenishing Potion, Murtlap Essence, Dittany Essence, Pepperup Potion, Bezoar and Calming Draught."

Harry looked at his former enemy with surprise, before he said, "Thanks, Malfoy."

"Mr Potter," Ollivander called to get his attention. He pulled out a small long box and levitated it towards him. "A spare wand for Miss Granger. 10¾" long vine wood, and dragon heartstring core, just like the first one she got. I hope that she won't need the spare, but it is better to have another one ready."

He gingerly took the small box and put it in the Flitwick's bag. "Thank you Mr Ollivander. I'm sure Hermione will appreciate this gift."

When Teddy finally arrived, he barely looked at Harry, as he neared the wards. George moved closer and put a hand on his shoulder to give him support. Harry's heart broke at the sight. He barely looked at the levitated bag coming his way.

"Teddy," Harry said, which caused Teddy to look up with his green eyes, so much like his own.

But before Harry could say anything else, Teddy pushed George away, with as much strength as he could muster and ran straight towards the wards.

"NO TEDDY!" Harry shouted and before any of the adults could pull out their wands to stop him, he had passed the ward and ran straight into Harry's arm. He tightened his grip on his son, not believing what he had done.

A moment later, Harry pulled away to look into the tear-rimmed eyes of his son and said in a tight voice, "How could you do this, Teddy. You don't know how dangerous this world is outside of this ward. You were safe here!"

"I can't lose you too, dad. Gran is already dead. Aunt Mione is not even here and Uncle Ron is out there as well. You… you are the only family I have left and… and I don't want to lose you too," Teddy said, not hiding the tears.

Harry pulled him back into his arms, "Oh Teddy, I told you have so many more family members and that-"

"I know," mumbled Teddy, as he cried into his chest. "But you are my dad… and I love you."

Harry tightened his arms around his son, and rubbed it calmly. He looked at the people outside and noticed that almost every student had come out. Many of them looked at the pair with sad or with tear filled eyes. The Headboy suddenly levitated a trunk towards Harry, which he recognized as Teddy's. He sent the boy a small smile in thanks.

"It will be alright, Teddy. We will figure something out," Harry said, as he kissed the side of his forehead gently and looked back at the castle.

_Would he ever see this place again and the people? _Harry wondered as he looked at the castle and the people, hoping that this won't be the last time that he ever saw this place.

* * *

**30****th**** May 2011, London, UK **

**Harry **

"This is the place?" Harry asked as he looked at the abandoned building, from where the distress call had been sent to Neville's place, almost two hours ago. Grimmauld Place had been the closest, which took in the small family that had appeared in front of Hogwarts, Bill's family, and Ron, until Harry and Teddy joined them. Therefore, Ron and Harry decided to go help the people there. Bill wanted to come along, but Harry and Ron put their foot down and told him that he had to stay behind and make sure that everything was still protected. In the end he didn't have a choice, but to agree.

Harry took the lead, as Ron was two steps behind him. A mission approach both had done countless time, when they had both become Aurors.

Harry held out his hand to halt Ron in his step, before he cast a nonverbally _Homenum Revelio_ charm, to see if there were any human around. The charm covered the entire ground floor and didn't show anything. Silently, they went up to the next and did the same, but again there was no one and even on the last floor, there hadn't been any sign of people.

But something caught Harry's eyes, which chilled his blood. A long blood trail on the floor that lead into the back of the floor. Harry looked at Ron, rushed over to him, and whispered hurriedly, "We need to go, Ron. There is no one here. Looks like someone got them."

Ron nodded gravely and made to follow Harry. Just as they were rounding the corner to go down the steps, inhuman moans reached their ears, which made them stand still with their wands raised. Harry saw another corridor with an exit and pulled Ron towards it and both hurried to get there and out of the building. Just as they reached it, four of the undead appeared from the other rooms and blocked their way. They were completely surrounded.

They stood back-to-back and cast spells as fast as they could.

"We need to apparate out! To the street opposite of the building's entrance," Harry shouted over the moans and screeches. By now, there had been over fifteen or twenty of those creatures had surrounded them.

"Alright," Ron spoke up. "On three, Harry. One…Two… Three."

Both disappeared with a loud crack and appeared on the street. They looked at each other, as they breathed heavily before they laughed in relief, until Ron's eyes widened and he shouted, "HARRY BEHIND YOU!"

But before Harry could react and turn around, Ron had already grabbed his front, pushed him towards the ground, which caused the three undead creatures to trip over Harry's leg directly into Ron's body.

"NO!" Harry screamed in horror as he watched the undead immediately bite into Ron. They tore chunks of flesh out from his arm, neck, and chest. Blood splatted everywhere, even hit Harry, before it flowed freely all over his body. Ron screamed in agony, as he fell to the ground, unable to push those things off him.

Harry jumped to his feet and cast strong blasting spells on the heads of the undead. They fell motionless on Ron. He pushed them away from Ron and began to cast healing spells, sealing the wounds close as much as was possible. He looked back at his best friend and saw his eyes dropping.

"Ron! No, Ron! Stay awake! I'm getting you help," he said, just as he was about to cast a spell to lift him, Ron grabbed his arm.

"N-no, Harry. It's… it's too late."

"Don't say that! We can get help!" Harry knew that it was already too late, but part of him couldn't accept this. Couldn't let him go.

"It's too late, Harry," Ron said as tears began to fall from his own eyes. "I wish… I wish I could have seen Hermione once more…. My parents…. My family… but at least… I have you here."

Harry began to cry as he watched the life began to fade from his eyes. "Ron… I…"

"Don't… Don't blame … yourself," Ron said in a broken voice, as his eyes closed and before Harry knew it he stopped breathing.

Harry looked at his best friend with disbelief, while his vision clouded with tears.

"Ron?" He shook him gently.

"Ron? Ron!" But he wasn't moving.

"I'm so sorry, Ron," Harry said as he let the tears fall, and clutched the lifeless body of his friend. "I should have been watching out. I should have paid more attention… and… and I messed it up…. I bloody messed up… I let you down…. I'm so sorry, Ron…. What am I going to tell the others? Your parents? Your brothers and sister? What… what am I going to tell, Hermione and Teddy? I was supposed to protect you."

He stared at his lifeless body of his best friend, who was like a brother to him. Someone, who gave with his friendship a whole family; a brother who stood next to him whenever he needed him.

"What am I supposed to do?" Harry cried hard. His body shook heavily. "What am I supposed to do now, Ron?"

He didn't know how long he cried on his friend's body, when he noticed Ron's hand twitch. He gently laid him on the ground and put his wand on his temple, as he watched with a blurred vision, his best friend returned from the dead. He cried harder as he opened his eyes and saw the once bright blue eyes, turned into the milky blue lifeless ones. Ron opened his mouth and began to moan, while he tried to reach for Harry.

"I'm so sorry, Ron," Harry said through his tears as he cast the spell that would end Ron's undead life forever.

* * *

**30****th**** May 2011,** **Rapides Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

"Hey Harry, shouldn't you already be asleep, it's quite late-"

"Hermione, are you at a safe place and are the wards raised?" Harry cut in, with a tight voice.

Hermione frowned at him, "Harry are you alright? Is-"

"Hermione, just answer the question, please. Are the wards up and are you safe?" there was an urgency in his voice that began to unsettle Hermione.

"Yes, Harry. I just finished putting them on. What's going on? Did something happen?"

He took a deep breath, avoiding her gaze, and spoke in a controlled voice, "Today we got a call from Kingsley, telling us that there are probably witches and wizards hiding at an abandoned building, an hour from Grimmauld Place. Ron and I decided to go there and get them to safety. We checked every floor, but there weren't any living beings. No humans. The _Homenum Revelio_ charm can't detect the undead people and soon we were surrounded by them."

Hermione's eyes widened in horror. "Merlin, are you both alright?"

Harry ignored her question and continued, "Due to the situation, we decided to apparate further outside the building. We…"

Dread began to settle in Hermione.

"We arrived moments later, three of those undead were behind me. I… I must have appeared right in front of them." Harry began to lose his composure. Hermione's heart beat frantically as she listened, she could feel the blood leaving her face.

"And…and Ron, he pushed me away. And…and… I fell. The three undead tripped over me and fell upon Ron and…" Harry broke off. He opened his mouth to continue but no words would come out.

Hermione was already in tears as she finally understood what Harry was trying to say, but not able to believe it. She couldn't believe it.

"Are you saying…" Hermione's voice quivered, as she blinked several times, letting the tears fall freely. She took a shaky breath and forced herself to say the words that would make her fear come true.

"Are you saying… that he… that Ron is… dead?" her voice broke at the end. Her heart began to hurt in her chest and her hands shook.

"Yes," Harry whispered in tears.

"No!" Hermione gasped in horror.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione." Harry's composure completely shattered as he openly wept for his friend.

"No!" Hermione shook her head, while her heart broke and her mind in denial, not able to believe the loss.

The mirror clattered to the floor, which still showed Harry's tear stained face.

"No, no… No…." Hermione cried harder in pain.

"Oh no…Ron… No…"

Hermione collapsed to the ground and let the grief consume her.

* * *

A/N: I'm not a huge Ron fan, but I tried to make him appear as a good friend, who grew out off his juvenile and jealous behavior. Hope you enjoyed this short version of him.

However, I don't think I will be able to upload next week, due to a busy schedule. Hopefully I will upload the next chapter in two weeks and not later.

Wish you all a great week and weekend.

Alice1985


	8. Chapter 7 - Last Hope

DISCLAIMER: I do not claim any rights on Harry Potter or The Walking Dead. I think by now everyone knows this.

A/N: Hi everyone! First of all, I want to apologize for taking so long to post the next chapter. The summer was just awfully hot and I just couldn't write as much as I wanted to and another reason was the huge amount of research I had to do for this story and the upcoming chapters. I don't have a degree in biology, chemistry or science and therefore I needed to look up and read a lot… So, I hope you aren't too upset with me.

I got a lot of good questions from smart reviewers, regarding the current magical situation, as well as Harry getting to Hermione. Some of them will be answered in this chapter and others will be revealed later on. Need to be patient ;)

And before you go read this chapter and hopefully enjoy it, I wanted to give a big thanks to uoduck, who took the time to beta read this story.

I also wanted to thank everyone who took the time to leave a review, put it on their favorite list and/or follows this story.

Thank you so much!

Enjoy the story!

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Last Hope**

* * *

**31****st**** May 2011,** **Leander,** **Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

The sun shone brightly, as Hermione left the forest behind and walked through the field on a small road. She hadn't slept since the news of Ron's death, the previous night. All night long, she had cried for her lost friend. Even though they hadn't always seen eye to eye, had fought occasionally about the stupidest things, he was still someone irreplaceable to her. Hermione didn't know if she could ever heal from the emotional wound and the hole Ron left behind. She didn't want to think how Molly, Arthur and the other Weasley's would react to Ron's death.

She forced herself to push the thoughts of Ron away. She could already feel the little strength and control she had begun to slip and it would take little for her to break down again. She already felt as if everything was just useless. Meaningless. The thought of giving up, had become louder and louder since last night. She began to lose hope that she wouldn't ever see Harry again, or Teddy, the Weasley's, or her home altogether. She would probably die here, somewhere, where no one would be able to find her. A nameless, faceless grave, or somewhere in the middle of a road.

Hermione just wanted to wake up. She felt as if she had become a prisoner in a nightmare, not able to escape or find a way out. She didn't know what was real and was not. She felt as if she could hear the inhuman moans and screech everywhere, the screams of people from all around her, and she could even hear a baby wailing now. She felt as if she was about to lose it.

The baby's wails and screams grew louder and Hermione realized with dread that it wasn't a hallucination. Without thinking, Hermione took off and ran towards the noises, while she was still invisible to the outside world.

"No! Please! I have a baby!" A woman screamed fearfully.

Hermione pushed her legs harder until she stumbled upon the scene that made her blood run cold. At a backyard of an old cottage, two men were upon a petite blond haired woman. A baby lay carelessly a few feet away from them, crying in distress. Both men laughed at the defenseless woman, while they drunk their beer. One of them then straddled the woman and tried to rip her clothes off, as he still held on the bottle. The other man encouraged him to do it faster.

Hermione tightened her hold on her wand, as a sudden rush of raw fury overcame her and without a sound or warning, she cast a powerful _Impendimenta_ spell, on the man over the woman and blasted him a few feet away. She didn't wait to see what happened to the man, before she turned and did the same with the other one. They looked frantically around and shouted slurred words at each other.

Hermione slowly walked over the two drunks on the ground, as she removed her invisibility charm on herself and glared at them hatefully.

"Hey, lady!"

"What the hell?"

She didn't give them an answer and instead pointed her wand at the men and let loose of all the pent-up anger, rage, frustration, and grief she had felt in the last days. She hissed one jinx at another at them, while they pleaded and cried for her to stop. She only ceased the curses, after she made sure that these two cretins were left impotent and covered with pusses all over their bodies. The two men had already fallen unconscious at some point by then, as Hermione erased their minds of her altogether and levitated their unconscious forms to the house. Even though they were lowlifes in her opinion, she couldn't well leave them in the open and have their deaths on her conscience.

Hermione took a deep breath and felt quite calmer and oddly satisfied at what she did. After she calmed down, Hermione turned around and walked slowly back to the woman on the ground, who had already cradled her baby into her arms.

Hermione slowed down and dropped her wand to her side, as soon as she saw the woman shrieking away. She knew that she had broken the Statute of Secrecy and planned to erase her mind as soon as the woman and child were at a safer place.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I heard you scream and saw what they did, and I just wanted to help."

Hermione stood a few feet away, as she watched the woman closely and noticed that she looked pale, shaken and sweaty. Hermione frowned at the appearance and as, the woman brushed her hair away saw the dark blood stain on her arm that seeped through her white cardigan.

The woman's gaze followed Hermione's eyes and looked away, as she held her child closer to her.

Hermione took a deep breath and asked, "Has your child been bitten?" She dreaded the answer, and hoped that this wasn't the case. She didn't know if she could handle such horror.

"No," the woman finally answered and Hermione breathed out in relief.

"I came from the grocery store and went home to pack a few things. I wanted to go to my in-laws. But then my neighbour… he came out of nowhere and I was too stupid, but it was the first time I saw someone like that for real, not just on TV and then he…" she broke off and took a shaky breath.

"I pushed him away after I could free myself and drove away. Thank God, my son was in the car, when that happened… I don't know what I would do…. Anyway, I've seen the news and know what would happen to those who got bitten and I tried to find someone who could take care of my son." She shook her head and brushed the few tears away.

"And here I am. My car broke down. I thought it would be best to find someone who wasn't so close to a populated area and," she looked back at the house and then to Hermione. "You know what happened."

Hermione nodded, unable to say anything. Her heart went to the woman who looked like her own age.

"I don't know how you did this, but thank you," the woman said in earnest and then she fell on her knees. Hermione sprinted towards her and put her arm on the woman's should and the other on the child.

"When did you get bitten?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Today. This morning."

It was already late afternoon and Hermione doubted that she would survive the night.

"Where is your baby's father? Is he somewhere around?"

The woman smiled sadly and said, "No, he isn't there anymore. He died seven months ago in Iraq. I planned to go to my in-laws, but the street they lived in was overrun. My parents are already dead and I don't have any siblings. There is no one."

"I'm sorry," said Hermione. The woman only nodded and brushed with her free hand her child's hair away.

The woman looked at Hermione with tears in her eyes, "Please, you have to take care of my baby. I don't care how you fought the men, but please, I'm begging you, take care of my child. He has no one… and… and I can't let him get hurt."

Hermione blinked her own tears away and nodded as she said, "I will, I promise."

The woman smiled for the first time, and she sighed in relief. "Thank you," she said and took a deep breath. "I'm Juliette and this here is Jon, short for Jonathan.

Hermione then looked closely at the child in her arms. As if sensing her eyes on himself, he turned and looked at her. Hermione's throat became dry as bright blue eyes, which reminded him so much of Ron, looked back at her. But instead of red hair, he had dark brown, making the eye color stand out even more.

"He is beautiful," Hermione said emotionally, not able to take her eyes from the child.

Juliette looked proudly at her son and smiled. "That he is."

Hermione gave her a small smile and said, "I'm Hermione."

She watched the child in the mother's arm, giving them a moment as she looked up at the sky.

"I think we should go before it's too dark. Do you have anything with you?" Hermione asked Juliette.

"Yes, in my car, which is down this street."

She pointed to the direction behind Hermione and both began to walk that way. Hermione kept her wand at her side and watched the area closely. She wanted to cast some protection spells on the three of them, but she feared that she would speed up the transformation of Juliette with it. She didn't want to risk it and take away of what was left of her time with her son.

Juliette began to get slower and weaker, barely able to walk a few steps, before she needed to stop and take a break. Hermione had slowed down and decided to walk next to her, to make sure that she didn't fall, especially with a baby in her arms.

"I… I can't hold him anymore," Juliette said, through her tear filled eyes, "Please take him. I don't want to hurt my baby."

Hermione only nodded and gently took the child from her arms, who looked tired and as soon as Hermione had him secured, he put his head on her shoulder. Juliette looked at them with a sad smile, and continued to walk with Hermione towards the car.

"How old is Jon?" Hermione asked. She wanted as much information about the child she would take care of from now on, as much as possible.

"Four almost five months now. He was born on the 7th January this year."

Hermione kept asking more things about him, like allergies, medical records, his family, and habits. They talked all the way towards the car, but as she grew weaker, and the pain grew stronger, as they had to take breaks every ten to fifteen minutes.

As they finally reached the small red car, Juliette opened the passenger seat and sat inside to take a break. Hermione placed Jon in her arms, to give them as much time as possible. Meanwhile, Hermione went to the trunk of the car and took out the grocery bags, luggages and carried them towards Juliette. She selected Jon's things, as well as pictures and his birth certificate. Hermione took them gently from her, and with the instruction of Juliette prepared a bottle for Jon, who was already hungry.

While Juliette fed him, she said to Hermione, "There is a military base a few miles away. It's-"

"I know," Hermione cut in. "That's where I'm heading."

"Good." Juliette smiled at her son as her eyes filled with tears, as she said to her son, "I wish I could be there. See you grow, hearing you calling me mom, see your first school day, have birthday parties, meeting your girlfriend, seeing you become the man I envisioned you to be." She leaned down and kissed her son's forehead, whose eyes began to drop in exhaustion.

Hermione's heart broke for the woman, and she gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Please take care of him, Hermione," Juliette spoke. She never took her eyes from her son, as she said, "Protect him, please. I don't care if you do it just as you did before, with your power…just make sure he grows up safe and loved."

She looked at Hermione, whose eyes shone with unshed tears, and said, "Be the mother, I won't be able to be. Love him as if he was your own son."

"I promise," Hermione said in a tight voice.

"Thank you, Hermione."

Juliette turned towards her almost asleep son, as she removed the now empty bottle and put him gently on her shoulder and patted his back gently. Hermione could clearly see that the pain she was in becaming stronger, as she closed her eyes tightly and moaned silently, until the worst wave of tremors left her body. A moment later, Juliet hummed softly, and soon began to sing a lullaby, until her son fell asleep in her arms.

"Please… please take him," Juliette said, her voice became weaker and pain strained.

Without a word, Hermione gently took the sleeping boy into her arms, where he continued to rest.

"We should go," said Hermione gently. Juliette had already closed her eyes, as Hermione flicked her wand and watched as the bags flew into her beaded bag.

"I can't," Juliette said slowly, with a weakened voice. "I … Can't feel my… legs." She turned her gaze to Hermione, as her breath became more swallow. "The pain… left… I… I am dying… now… aren't I?"

Hermione had to look away as the tears began to fall, and she said with a shaky voice, "I'm so sorry."

"Do-Don't be…" her breath became more ragged, "Just…Don' let… my… boy see…me-me like that…please."

Hermione knew what she meant and nodded, as the tears fell heavily.

"Tell…Jon about…his parents…. Th-that we… loved him…so much."

"I will, I promise." Hermione swallowed, trying to not openly cry for the woman before her, as she gently stroked little Jon's back, while he slept. Unaware of his dying mother.

"I… I'm so…. g-glad that… you…found…" were the last words of Juliette as her chest stopped moving and her eyes stared lifelessly back at her.

Hermione walked a few steps away and hold the child closer to her, as she let the tears fall and let herself mourn another death. She took a deep breath and turned around, and raised her wand at the lifeless body, and cast a quick cutting spell on the head.

She didn't want to leave the body in the car, exposed to the world as if she hadn't been someone important, someone brave.

She raised her wand at the field a few feet in front of her, dug the earth out, levitated the body into the grave, prayed for her and then cast a strong _Incendio _spell, which caused the body to burst into flames. In minutes, there was nothing left except for ashes and Hermione closed the grave with a wave of her hand. She levitated a small stone and transfigured it into a gravestone. It read: _Juliette Barnes, a brave wife and mother. Rest in peace. 31.05.2011_

Hermione looked at the sky and saw that the sun was almost gone. She laid a gentle hand on the sleeping baby and walked into the field to set up the tent and wards.

As she walked away from the grave, she wondered and hoped that one day Jon would be able to come here to visit his mother's grave. Hermione promised herself, as she walked away with the little baby that she would do everything in her power to ensure this.

* * *

**1****st**** June 2011, London, UK **

**Harry **

The silence finally settled in the house. It had been another long day, since Ron's death. The whole thing felt surreal. Every time he went down the kitchen or sitting room, he expected to see Ron eating or playing chess. His absence left a great emptiness, a deep hole in Harry's life. He wasn't sure how or if he would ever overcome the loss and pain he felt constantly.

Harry looked down at the sleeping Teddy in his arm. He could still see the dried tear tracks on his face and sighed tiredly.

The news had hit everyone hard. Bill had stood silently for a moment, until he walked into another room, sealed it shut, before he let go of his rage. They could hear furniture break, curses hitting the wall and finally a pain filled scream that had broken Harry's heart further and increased his guilt. He and Fleur had tried to open the door but to no avail. He could have tried to open a stonewall with his bare hands and would have probably had more luck, and after half an hour they realized that they wouldn't be able open to the door. In the end, Fleur had cast a silencing spell around the room and left her husband to mourn the loss of his brother, while she went to console her children.

Later that night, the husband and father of the Burton family, their newest guests, who was a magical carpenter, had repaired the damage as best as he could, without being asked to. Even the family with their four children and the sister-in-law knew had been saddened by the loss.

Teddy had cried heartbrokenly at the news. The emotional shock had caused his Metamorphmagus ability to go havoc on him. His hair and eye color, even facial features began to change constantly. It took Harry a few hours to calm him down.

The whole time, Harry stood strong for everyone, while he informed Minister Shacklebolt and the Weasley's of what happened. To tell Molly that his youngest son was dead, to explain how he had died, was the hardest thing Harry had ever done. But he stayed strong, as he listened to Molly's wail of pain and denial of grief. He patiently and methodically explained how it came to this tragedy, how he had saved his life, and then afterwards, cremated Ron, got his remains in a transfigured urn, and brought him home, to Grimmauld Place. He couldn't leave Ron at the pavement. He couldn't do this to his best friend. In the end, Harry had followed protocol and burned Ron's body. It was the most painful and horrifying thing he had ever done. He knew that this moment would haunt him forever.

But telling Hermione, his other best friend, his sister in everything but blood, was something he had dreaded the most. He had explained the same way he did it with everyone, with a controlled voice, as he told her the course of events, which lead to Ron's death, but the moment he saw Hermione breaking down, he couldn't hold back his own grief anymore. All the pain and hurt burst free. Everything from there on had been a blur. At some point someone had come in and took over. The whole night he had finally mourned for his best friend, his brother.

The next day, hadn't been better for anyone. A dead silence had settled over Grimmauld Place. Everyone had been quiet and lost in their thoughts. Harry spent most of his time with Teddy, making sure that he was alright. If he was honest with himself, he needed his godson around just as much.

He sighed deeply as he looked at the clock. It showed 2AM, which meant that it was 8PM in Louisiana. He gently put Teddy back on his bed and covered him up. He had a hard time falling asleep, since then and Harry had taken the time and tried to help him through his grief. He looked back at his sleeping son, before he silently left the room. Harry walked into his own room and pulled the mirror from his pocket. He tabbed his wand on the side of the mirror and called Hermione's name. It glowed gently, which indicated that the call had gone through. It was like the muggle way of a ring tone.

Harry didn't have to wait long, before his mirror connected with Hermione's and was immediately greeted with a loud baby cry. His mind went completely blank, not able to comprehend why Hermione would have a crying baby with herself. Maybe it was due to the late hour, or his own lack of sleep, as he begun to come up with explanations, why he was hearing things and Hermione had a baby.

_"Oh, Harry, hi. Just give me a minute," _Hermione said hurriedly and placed the mirror in front of her.

Unable to say anything, Harry only blinked with confusion, as he tried to process the scene before him. He listened to Hermione's words as she gently spoke, to a baby in her arms, while she tried to prepare, what looked like, a baby bottle.

_"Here you go. I'm sorry, I completely forgot it's your feeding time, but I promise I will take better care of you."_

"Hermione?" Harry finally said. Even he noticed how unsure his voice sounded. He watched with wide eyes, as Hermione gave the bottle to a little baby, who immediately settled down.

_"Harry! Sorry, I completely forgot that he needed feeding again."_

"Hermione?"

_"Yes?"_ Hermione looked at Harry and he could see her puffy eyes and the exhaustion on her face.

"You have a baby? When did this happen? Did I miss something? Have I gone finally mental, Hermione?" he asked dead seriously, wondering if he had truly gone crazy. "Maybe, I'm seeing things now?"

_"No, Harry,"_ Hermione said and rolled her eyes at his words. She took a deep breath and looked down at the bundle in her arm, before she returned her gaze back at Harry and explained to him about today's events. Harry rubbed with his free hand his face and then looked back at her. He watched silently, as she moved the baby to her shoulder and patted his back gently, until he let out a burp.

Harry smiled at the picture they made and asked, "What's his name?"

Hermione smiled, turned the baby towards the mirror and settled him into her arm. The baby looked Harry with his bright blue eyes, which reminded him immediately of Ron. His throat tightened at the resemble.

_"His name is Jon, Jonathan Barnes, he is four and half months old and likes to get his food on time."_

Jon looked at the mirror and Harry with wide curious eyes.

Hermione must have recognized the look in Harry's eyes, as she said, "I know, the eyes. They look like Ron's."

Jon moved to grab the mirror with both his chubby hands, before he pulled back, put his little fists to his mouth and grinned brightly at Harry, which he returned softly. Hermione gently swayed the baby side to side. It reminded Harry of the time she used to babysit with Teddy. She had been so caring and protective with Teddy and he knew he would be the same if not, so much more with the current baby in her arms. He could already see them bonding with each other.

_"How was your day today, Harry? How's Teddy and everyone else?" _

He shook his head and sighed deeply, "Not good. The mood was like after the war, but it felt so much worse. Teddy is still…pretty much beaten up. He saw us, Ron, you, and myself as his real family."

_"I wish I was there." _Hermione sighed._ "I will try to call tomorrow earlier, around your time, and maybe talk with Teddy for a bit." _

"That's a good idea. I'm sure it would help," said Harry and noticed Jon falling asleep. He pointed at the baby in her arms and she gently placed the baby in a transfigured crib next to her.

"Do you have enough food?" Harry asked as soon as she returned back to the mirror.

_"I think so. I mean I still have two full boxes of formula and I was thinking that if I ran out of food, I could make something of what I have? Maybe Fleur could give me some pointers? I don't want to impose on Molly…not after…."_ She broke it off, not able to finish the sentence.

"Yeah, that would be probably for the best. I will talk with Fleur tomorrow and call you afterwards," Harry said and then asked worriedly, "How long do you think will it take for you to reach the base? How do you plan to travel with a baby, now?"

_"I can't put him through hours of walking stress and the danger that is out there. I was thinking of only traveling for a few hours a day, maybe cut it short to two to four hours. I don't trust myself to be out in the open for much longer." _Hermione pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and continued, _"This means that I will reach the military base, probably, a few days later than planned." _

Harry nodded silently as he let the new situation sink in.

"Just promise me that you will be careful, Hermione. I… I don't think that I could…" Harry couldn't finish the sentence. He knew deep down, that loosing Hermione would be his undoing, unable to recover from something like that. The only people holding him together were Teddy and Hermione. His greatest strength and weakness.

_"I will, Harry. I promise. I will call you more often from now on and you can call me, if you need me, ok? The mirror only vibrates, which should be alright even if I'm out. So, promise to call me, Harry."_

"I promise, Hermione."

_"Harry?" _Hermione called, breaking his train of thoughts. _"How are you feeling?"_

"I'm alright," he said, trying to sound calm.

Hermione frowned at him, and said,_ "I know you better, Harry Potter. You are not fine. I'm not fine." _

He opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione beat him to it, _"Don't even try to deny it. I know you, Harry… It's not your fault. What happened that day… it was something unpredictable. You couldn't have known that these undead things were behind you. I'm sure-"_

"But that's the thing, Hermione," Harry cut in and let his anger out. "It was predicted! Firenze said something about Ron, which I misunderstood. Don't you see, Hermione? I could have stopped it, if I had thought about it more, paid more attention around us, this would have never happened."

_"Maybe I am to blame for his death as well?" _Hermione muttered.

"What?" Harry was completely thrown off at her words.

_"You told me about the prediction of Firenze and I brushed it off, just like I did in the past, whenever I hear about prophecies, prediction, or fortune-telling. Maybe it was my fault too, for being so arrogant and narrow minded about a branch of magic I detested so much? Maybe it was some cosmic retribution for ridiculing any sort of future telling? If I had looked closer at the words, really put more attention on the things you've said, maybe I could have warned you?" _

Harry knew that her words weren't meant to just goat him to stop the guilt feeling, but he knew she meant them in earnest.

"It's not your fault, Hermione," Harry responded in a gentle voice.

_"How do you know that, Harry?"_ her voice become unsteady, as her eyes filled with tears.

Firenze word echoed in his mind, _'Do not blame you for the lives you couldn't and won't save, Harry Potter. Sometimes, it wasn't meant to be and sometimes it was.' _

"I don't, but I know that you would be the last person on earth, who would let a loved one hanging. You helped Ron and myself so many times, Hermione. There is no way that you could be in any way responsible or could have predicted this outcome."

_"Than it's not your fault either, Harry,"_ Hermione concluded, as she brushed the few fallen tears away.

"I know," Harry sighed in agreement.

After a moment of silence, Hermione said, _"But it still feels as if it is, doesn't it?"_

"Yea, it does."

* * *

**5****th**** June 2011, London, UK**

**Harry**

The first thing Harry noticed, as he looked into the bathroom mirror, was that he didn't recognize himself. A stranger looked back at him, covered in dirt and blood; exhausted from the long days he put himself through, by volunteering to guide stranded magical families to safe houses or going on supply runs with other Aurors.

He needed a purpose, something that didn't let him feel helpless, useless. A failure, who couldn't even protect his best friend.

Harry pushed those thoughts away, as he roughly washed his face and cleaned himself up, before he walked towards Teddy's bedroom. He hadn't seen him, since his return and wondered what he was up to. Right now, he needed a familiar and kind face who didn't look at him with worry, pity, or simply avoided looking at him.

Just as Harry was about to knock on Teddy's door, he could hear Hermione's voice.

_"Teddy, give him time. Your dad experienced something very traumatic not even a week ago. Every person handles grief differently. Some become withdrawn, others depressed… and I have seen Harry grieve." _

"But I want to help, Aunt Hermione. Dad always goes out there and… and…" Teddy's voice broke off, and Harry could hear the fear in it.

_"What Teddy?"_ Hermione asked gently. Teddy said something, which was too quiet for Harry to hear.

_"Oh, Teddy… I will try to talk with your dad, make him see sense." _

"Thanks Aunt Mione," Teddy said and he could hear the relief in his voice. "How is lil' Jonny doing?"

_"Oh, he is great! Taking a nap right now. He is cute, isn't he?" _

"Yeah… his eyes remind me of Uncle Ron. I didn't want to say this in front of dad… didn't want to make him sad again."

_"You shouldn't worry about this, Teddy. Your dad understands and wouldn't get upset if you talked to him about Ron." _

Harry frowned at Teddy's words. The last thing he wanted was to make him upset. He took a deep breath and finally knocked on the door.

"I think Dad's back. Hold on, Aunt Mione," whispered Teddy to the mirror.

The door opened and Teddy welcomed him with a bright smile. "Dad! Your back!" He threw himself into Harry arm and gave him a fierce hug, which Harry returned.

"Of course, I'm back."

Teddy only nodded, before he took a step back and held the mirror out for him. "Was talking to Aunt Mione. Wanna talk with her?"

"Sure."

"Bye, Aunt Mione. I've missed you and I love you," Teddy said with a little blush.

Harry saw Hermione's smile at Teddy's words.

_"And I miss and love you too, Teddy." _

Teddy handed the mirror to Harry.

"I will see you, after I talk with your aunt, alright Teddy?" Harry said, and gave him a small smile before he left his son's room and walked into his own.

"Hey, Hermione, hope everything is going well?" He closed the door behind him as soon as he reached his room.

_"Good. Guess you heard the conversation." _

Hermione knew him too well by now.

"Yes. From the point on, where he is worried that something could happen to me," Harry said as the feeling of guilt blossomed in his chest.

_"Harry, it's not your fault,-"_

"I know, Hermione." He sighted deeply. "I know. I just feel so… I just need to do something. I need to make it not-" he couldn't finish the sentence and looked away.

_"To make it not in vain? That Ron's death hadn't been pointless?"_ Hermione concluded with a heavy voice.

"Yes."

_"But this is exactly what you are doing, Harry. You risk your life to help others, that is something I absolutely admire about you, but going out and jumping into a group of undead things and kill them, isn't what I would describe as being useful." _

Harry cringed at Hermione's words. "Guess, Teddy told you about that."

Hermione sighed and said,_ "He is worried about you. I am worried about you, Harry. Teddy needs you. I need you. I don't think I could…if something should happen to you-" _she left the words unsaid and blinked several times before she added with a stern voice, _"Anyway, stop this reckless behavior, Harry and be there for Teddy."_

"Yes, Ms Granger," Harry said with mock obedience.

_"It's Mistress Granger, or Doctor Granger. Professor Granger would do it too." _

Harry snorted at her words, but before he could say anything, he noticed that she went completely still and pale. Worried at her sudden alertness, he spoke up, "Hermione? Is everything alright?"

_"No, someone breached my walls, Harry. Someone walked through,"_ she said in a shocked voice.

"What? How can that be? Did you forget to add a spell?" He could feel the panic grow inside him.

_"No, I've got everything. I did all-"_

Suddenly, the mirror dropped to the ground and he heard her sudden intake of breath, before she cast fast slicing and blasting spells. The baby woke up from the racket and cried loudly, as the inhuman moans continued. Harry was petrified with shock at what he witnessed.

"Hermione?" He called out, his heart pounded hard against his chest, when he didn't hear or see Hermione and only heard the Jon's cries.

"HERMIONE!" Harry shouted in fear. His mind was running wild with all sorts of horrific scenarios. The fear of loosing Hermione was something he knew, he and Teddy wouldn't recover from.

"HERMIONE! ANSWER ME!"

He ignored the heavy footsteps as his bedroom door flew open and Teddy, Bill, and Fleur rushed towards him. Someone asked why he was screaming, but he couldn't answer them. His gaze was focused on the mirror screen, which still showed the floor. The baby still cried in the background and there was no sight of her.

"HERMIONE!"

"HARRY!" Bill shouted, as he grabbed Harry's shoulders and made him look up at him. Harry could feel himself panting heavily in panic and terror.

"What happened?" he asked urgently.

"Hermione… the undead breached her ward and … and it looked like they went inside the tent," he explained.

He heard horrified gasps behind him and Bill paled dramatically. Harry returned his gaze on the mirror.

"Hermione! Damn it! HERMIONE!" He called again, as he was going out of his mind.

No one said anything, as they waited to find out the fate of Hermione.

_"Shh, I'm here. I'm sorry,"_ Hermione said softly in the room, as the baby cries became quiet.

"Hermione?!"

_"Accio Mirror. Harry!"_ She looked pale and completely shaken. The room sighed in relief and Harry could feel himself breathe again.

"Hermione! Are you ok? Where you hurt or bitten? How the bloody hell did it get in?"

_"I'm fine, just a bit shaken. Two of those undead things… they simply walked through my protection wards. I had muggle repelling spells, invisibly, scent removal and silence spells up. I-I thought that would be enough." _

"You need to put stronger wards up, Hermione," Bill spoke up.

_"I did, now. After I disposed of the bodies, I cast a Three-Spell-Wards, with a Muggle repelling spell as well as invisibility and scentless spells. Anybody crossing the boundary will be disintegrated immediately."_

"It will take a lot of your magic and exhaust you more," Bill said worriedly.

_"I know," _Hermione sighed deeply. _"That's why I didn't use it before."_

Harry could barely listen to the conversation Hermione had with the others. He could still feel how his heart raced beneath his chest. He came so close to loosing her again. He needed a way to get to her. He couldn't lose another person who was like family to him. He just couldn't.

* * *

**6****th**** June 2011, Hogwarts, Scotland **

**WWN**

"Welcome to LifeWatch at Wizarding Wireless Network, the program that will help you in these hard times. Here is Peter Crowden-"

"And Elizabeth Crowden, live from Hogwarts."

"Our first topic regards useful and effective protection spells. Hermione Granger found out that her Muggle Repelling spell is not working on the undead. I repeat, the Muggle Repelling spell does not repel the undead.

"Yesterday, Hermione Granger had been attacked by one of the undead. Sources say, that she had put several strong protection wards around her campsite, which would her make invisible to the outside, scentless, soundless, and repel any Muggles. Unfortunately, it appeared that one of those creatures must have by chance simply stumbled upon her wards and went through, but luckily, Ms Granger fought off the attackers by killing them. From what we know, Ms Granger will add, to her wards a shield charm that won't make any sort of penetration possible. The drawback on this spell is, that it takes a lot of magic. Especially, if it is just one caster. But safety comes first!

"For those of out there who don't know the brave witch, here is a little info about her. Hermione Jean Granger fought alongside with Harry Potter and the late deceased Ronald Weasley in the Second Wizarding War and was an essential part of the victory against Voldemort and his Death Eater. She became a prominent Potion Mistress and a leading scientist in the muggle world. During the outbreak, Ms. Granger had been visiting the United States and was one of the first who came face to face with the undead. And yet, she was still able to warn Mr Potter of the growing danger. Many of the American wizards and witches were not prepared for the situation and things went shortly out of control, just as in the Muggle world. Due to the State of Emergency in the Magical and Muggle world, Ms Granger is currently unable to return home to England. From what we have found out, Ms Granger is traveling to a safe place, where she can find help and work on a cure, and hopefully find out who or what caused the undead to rise.

"We, the Wizarding Wireless Network, her friends, family, the whole Hogwarts staff, wish Ms Granger good luck on her journey. We think and pray for you.

"Now, here are some useful warding spells to shield from physical attacks. I will give to the Charm's Professor Flitwick and the DADA Professor Cole, who will explain the techniques further."

* * *

**8****th**** June 2011, Upper Flagley, Yorkshire, UK**

**Harry**

"It's good to see you, Harry," Neville greeted Harry warmly with a large smile, as soon as he apparated on the outside of Longbottom Manor wards. The estate was even more magnificent and bigger than the Malfoy Manor. The moment Harry crossed the wards, he was pulled into a fierce hug.

"It's good to see you too, Neville."

And he meant it. To see his long time friend again, especially in these days, felt special. Neville was a head taller than him and had grown over the years into his body. There was no sign of the once lanky boy, who was so unsure of himself. With his abilities and skills for Herbology Neville made a name for himself in the wizarding world. He led his whole business from the Longbottom estate and various little shops in Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and around the magical side of Europe.

"Come the others are waiting for you."

Harry nodded and walked beside Neville towards the manor.

"How is Luna?"

Luna and Neville had started to date shortly after the end of the war and have been inseparable ever since.

"She is alright, but she became quieter, since she couldn't get a hold of her father via mirror call or owl," Neville said with a worried voice. "I didn't tell her, but I tried to send a Patronus to him a few days ago and it couldn't deliver it."

Harry nodded silently, knowing what this meant. Nowadays, everyone was losing someone. Death was at every doorstep and for now, it was unstoppable.

"Have you told her this?"

"No. I do not know exactly how, Harry. I don't want to…" he broke off and exhaled deeply. "I did ask her to send a Patronus, but she refused; saying that she didn't want to distract her father during his research for the Blibbering Humdinger Creature. I don't know. I think maybe she already knows deep down that he is dead."

"Maybe," Harry agreed.

He knew that Luna was not just an ordinary or eccentric witch. She had a sense of things that no one else he knew had. Harry learned not to brush off her words, but to look at them the other way. A recent example was, when she had arrived at Longbottom Manor, on the day of the outbreak in the Wizarding community. She had explained to Neville that some Bumbling Maggot Creature began to leave their garden and travelled to Neville's place, which she had followed so she wouldn't miss the mating ceremony on them. In the end, her imaginary creatures had probably saved her life.

"But I think you should talk to her, if she keeps avoiding it, Neville."

He nodded at Harry's word, as they walked into the manor. Harry was instantly greeted by everyone. Luna even wrapped her arms around him and after Neville's words, he could see a lingering sadness in her eyes, but chose not to say anything.

The meeting began shortly after in the ballroom. There were at least forty people inside, including the Wizarding Wireless Network, hosted by Dean Thomas and Susan Memnos, a young brunette with a kind smile, several Aurors, Ministry employees, a hovering Mirror with Headmistress McGonagall face looking back at them, and to his surprise even three Unspeakables. Kingsley explained to Harry that the Statute of Secrecy regarding the Unspeakable was unnecessary, due to the situation they were in. Many of them, he found out, lived with their families at the Longbottom estate.

On the agenda of the meeting was the current situation in the wizarding world. More and more places became black holes and all communication methods in these places have been unanswered. Many magical places around the world who were still in contact via Patronus, floo calls or with the use of other magical devices, confirmed and reported the same outbreak of the infected and the nature of them, which Hermione had already provided in the beginning, everywhere. Dean said that the Wireless was working on a way to broadcast outside of Europe and reach all the magical places. They were working on the broadcasting range and an automatic translation into their languages. He also informed that the incoming calls were getting more and more and Susan Memnos came up with the idea to create a station with a few more helpers to note the information down. Everyone liked the idea and Shackelbolt wanted it to run it soon as possible.

St. Mungos had been partly sealed off, after an outbreak at the first day. Apparently, some people had healed their bite wounds themselves and chose not to say anything about it in order to protect themselves and their families, while they got treatments for the symptoms. It soon had escalated into an uncontrollable outbreak. A team of Aurors, who had been nearby, could contain the situation, before it could be reached outside. They had acted fast and sealed off the infected floors and evacuated the patients through the fireplaces. The hospital was now empty, except for the undead sealed in the first floors. It was later decided that they would send a team of Aurors to collect the supplies and secure the potions and anything else that could be useful. Kingsley pointed out that they should stop the mission and return if they were faced with any danger.

Neville's hometown, which had been the main location for the safe houses, was quite outside any population, but due to the on growing outbreaks and death rate, Neville and several others voiced out their concern that they needed put some warding on around the village, something that could protect the little village. The Unspeakables had a few ideas with runes and stones, which could create some sort of magical wall and send a warning signal to the manor. It wasn't a foolproof and very strong solution but it would give them time to protect and defend themselves.

The headmistress gave a short briefing about their situation and their safety measures. She explained that after Teddy left so unexpectedly, they saw the flaws in the castles protection, which they had fixed. McGonagall had commanded the stone knights to prevent any student or adult from leaving without her explicit order. Of course, with no use any offensive means.

The meeting went on about the other plans and solutions, in regards of supplies, safety measures for homes and areas, useful spells, speculation of the undead, and the plans for the WatchLife program.

"There is another thing that concerns me, Minister," Harry began and got the attention of the entire room. "Many of you know that there is a book in Hogwarts, that lists the magical children in Britain, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Children, who were planned to begin at Hogwarts this coming school year. Headmistress McGonagall explained to me that the ancient book places every child's name in the book, once they show their first accidental magic and gives these children an automatically a place in the school. My concern is that families, especially parents of Muggleborn witch or wizard, or even Purebloods or Halfbloods families with children, can't protect themselves from these undead creatures properly. Children will be the greatest liability to their survival and with no unforeseen end of this… chaos, we need to protect them.

"Anyway, I've asked Headmistress McGonagall before I left the school about the magic of the book and how these letters are delivered. She explained that it could trace the signature of the child's magic and the magic of the book writes down, with a special quill, the location of the child," Harry paused and noticed several heads of the Unspeakables nod in agreement, while others looked quite surprised.

"Quite correct, Mr Potter," the headmistress commented.

"I was thinking," Harry continued, "that we could get, with the help of Headmistress McGonagall, those locations from the book, and evacuate the children with their families to the safe houses. I know that it will be a dangerous mission, but I think that this will be something necessary and needs to be done, before it's too late."

"I agree with Mr Potter, Kingsley," McGonagall's said through the mirror.

Minister Shacklebolt and several other heads nodded with agreement at the idea.

"I concur with the suggestion," Kingsley said with a strong clear voice. "Any objection?"

Soon, it was discussed how and who was about to get this mission done and where they could place the rescued families.

"When do you think you could get the list for us ready, Minerva?"

"Well, to copy each child's signature and trace it to the exact location… I think two days. Maybe it would be for the best to give you a short list of ten children at a time, so that the location is absolutely accurate."

"That's a good idea. Any objections?"

An elderly man with a full beard raised his hand tentatively. He wore ministry robes, which showed that he was part of the lower Departments of the Ministry. After the nod of Kingsley, the man spoke up, "I have a question, Minister. What," he paused and cleared his voice nervously. "What would happen if the child was…deceased?"

Harry could see that McGonagall pursed her lips before she explained in a tight voice, "If a magical child died before he or she entered Hogwarts, the name on the list will be magically crossed out. A time of death and place will appear next to the name and under normal circumstances, we would deliver these information to the Auror Department."

Harry looked back at the man, who looked quite pale and sickened at the thought. Numerous others shared the same expression.

"Does anyone else have any questions or objections?" Kingsley asked the people in the room again, after a moment of silence, but no one raised their hands or voice.

"Good, then it's settled. Auror McKinnen, you will be head of this mission. Please get a team ready in two days."

An elderly man in his forties, nodded gruffly at Kingsley. He always reminded Harry a little bit of Moody, with his hard demeanor, faint scars on his face and a daring attitude.

Kingsley then turned towards Harry. "Mr Potter, I believe you are still determined to go to America and return with Ms Granger?"

"Yes, Minister."

"Did you find a way to do so?"

"Unfortunately, no. I was thinking of a magical vehicle, but I was told that they wouldn't be able to drive for days. Flying on a broom for days would be simply too dangerous. A magical creature would also need a break every few hours." Harry sighed with annoyance at the situation and brushed his hair back.

"What about a House-Elf?" someone asked, whom Harry didn't know.

"I asked the House-Elves at Hogwarts, if they were possible to transport me to America, but it wasn't possible. They explained to me that the distance was too great, the territory too unknown and even with their elf magic it was something they couldn't do."

Kingsley nodded and looked around and asked, "Anyone else have a solution or suggestion on how to get Harry to and back from the States?"

"What about a dragon? They are fast and can easily fly such a distance?" someone said and before Harry could response, some other exclaimed in a surprised voice, "Seriously, Flickle? A dragon?"

"What? They can do it! They have the endurance!" the man names Flickle defended himself.

"I'm sorry, but a dragon is out of question. We still need to hold up the Status of Secret," Kingsley responded with a raised eyebrow.

Many nodded at his words and became quiet, some suggesting other magical artifacts and objects, which were quickly shut down, due to the same endurance problem Harry had voiced out.

"I think I have an idea," Neville suddenly spoke up and everyone turned towards him. Harry had to stop himself from smiling, as he noticed his blush. He took a deep breath and said, "My uncle, well actually my great-granduncle from my father's side, he has a magical boat. From what I know, he inherited from his father-"

"Honestly, Neville," chided Neville's grandmother, suddenly, who sat next to him. "You should know better. He got this boat from his grandfather and not father. It was Mortimer Longbottom. He was one of the few wizard's in the whole British Wizarding community to have had a magical boat. Long before the International Apparation had been initiated and made available for the public, the wizards and witches had used ships."

"Thanks, grandmother," Neville cut in with a slightly annoyed voice and after her curt nod, he continued. "Well, what I was meaning to say is, the boat is still there. At my uncle's place. It's fairly old for sure and it needs some repairs and we would need someone, who knew how to work with stuff like this. Maybe a magical craftsman, carpenter or a chippie? I'm not sure in what shape the magical wards are, but I'm sure that it can be fixed."

Harry's eyes had widened with surprise, completely speechless at the new turn.

"Where is this boat, Neville?"

"At my uncle's estate, which is next to us," he explained and Harry's couldn't hold back the grin.

Finally, he felt something other than frustration. A new lightness spread inside him and it made him feel hopeful again.

* * *

**8****th**** June 2011,** **Fort Polk Forest, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

The days became warmer, Hermione noted as she walked with the baby, through the forest in the direction of Fort Polk. She looked down at the child in her arms, who sucked on a blue baby-soother. She had conjured a baby carry-cot, strapped it over her front and put a feather light charm over it. She made sure that it was large enough to support his neck and head, and soft enough so it wouldn't hurt him.

Not for the first time did she wish that she still had the military vehicle, which she had gotten from Alexandria. It would have made the travel with Baby Jon much safer and faster, but alas it wasn't so.

Her thoughts drifted to the event almost two weeks ago. Shortly after the chaos of the outbreak, Hermione left with the car from the airport field of Alexandria and had headed out of the city, but soon she had noticed that the car was losing fuel. She barely reached the outskirts of the forest as the car gave completely up and chose to walk rest of the way to the military base.

She shook her head at the memory, she didn't want to think on how many people had lost their lives that day.

Hermione sighed and looked at the child strapped on her chest. She wondered not for the first time how things would unfold, how his future would look like. She gently stroked his soft dark brown unruly hair, as his eyes began to drift close. Hermione had to smile as she noticed that his hair reminded her of Harry's.

Hermione pulled out the map and realized with a relief that she could make it to the base today. It was probably an hour or two away, but she needed a safe place as soon as possible. Even with the invisibility and all the other protection spells, she felt tense and worried to be out in the open with Jon. Therefore, Hermione had only traveled half so long, while the sun was up. She didn't want to put stress on the child and wanted to give him as much peace and safety as she could.

Out of nowhere, a wind blew a repulsive scent in her direction, which made her stand still. Her heart beat frantically as she realized what it meant. Hermione began to picked up her space and drew her wand out. The scent became more intense as the inhuman sounds reached her ear. She tried not to make so much noise, but the rustling of grass and leaves was enough to draw attention to them. Jon was awake by now and became restless.

The noises grew louder to her right side, as suddenly three of those undead things stumbled towards her with their hand stretched out. Hermione casted swiftly several strong _Diffindio_ spell at them and severed their bodies and head. She didn't stop to make sure that they were dead and kept her pace.

At some point, Jon had lost his baby-soother and cried in distress. Hermione tried to calm him down, but to no avail.

The inhuman moans and groans sounds increased and the smell grew worse. Hermione couldn't tell from where it was coming from or how many of them were. She knew that Jon's cries drew the attention to them, even if they were invisible. Hermione paused for a moment and drew her wand at Jon.

"I'm so going to hell for this," Hermione muttered to herself, just as she was about to cast a _Silencio_ on Jon, a group of the undead things surrounded her. Hermione shouted _Bombarda_ and the two undead things were ripped to pieces and thrown away and ran in the direction of the military camp. She had counted around fifteen of those things as they chased her. She knew that she didn't have the strength to fight them all. She could barely keep up the pace, while Jon screamed loudly. Hermione sent several strong _Expelliarmus _spell to any of the things that got closer to her. She didn't have much more strength to cast more damaging spells to kill them.

She was exhausted, but she pushed herself further, kept running towards the base. She didn't know how long she ran, as she finally saw the gate of the Fort Polk military base.

Hermione cancelled the spells on herself, pushed the wand back into her invisible wand holster on her left arm.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!" Hermione screamed desperately. She saw a few soldiers aiming their guns in her direction and began to shoot. Hermione didn't turn around or stop, and ran towards the gate. Two soldier stood before her aiming their guns at her.

Hermione halted and raised her right hand up, while the other was placed on Jon's back.

"GET DOWN! GET DOWN!" they shouted over Jon's cry.

Hermione went slowly down on her knees and said, "My-my name is Dr. Hermione Granger, I'm a scientist."

* * *

A/N: I hope you liked it! :)


	9. Chapter 8 - Silver Lining

A/N: The response of the last chapter was amazing! Thank you so much for all those reviews and anyone who put this story on their favorite or story alert list. A big thanks goes to uoduck, for beta reading this story. Your amazing!

So, hope you like this chapter, it is by far the longest in the story.

* * *

**Chapter 8 - Silver Lining**

* * *

**8****th**** June 2011,** **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

Three soldiers, with raised weapons, surrounded Hermione immediately. Jon still screamed in distress in his baby carry-cot, as she tried to sooth him with her left arm around him, while the other was still raised in the air. One of the soldiers gently removed her backpack. She was glad that she had put her beaded handbag in the hidden bag-pack pocket, which would conceal it and anyone who looked inside would only see a normal size bag with several items in it.

"All clear. Got some ID's," said the soldier, who held up her backpack, and dangled her credentials in his hand.

"Have you been bitten, ma'am?"

"No," Hermione said still shaken all over.

"The baby?" another asked.

"No, not bitten."

They lowered their weapons, while one of them talked into his mike, "Secured Bambi and mother. Prepare the decontamination shower and inspection. Get a medic down as well. Over."

A short static sound could be heard, just before the response came back, _"Copy that. Ready in five. Over and out." _

"Come along, ma'am."

Hermione nodded and lowered her right arm and supported Jon's head gently. A soldier helped her to get back on her feet.

"It's alright, Jon. Everything is going to be fine," Hermione spoke soothingly, as she followed the soldiers through the gate. Above the arch of the gate was written 'Welcome to Fort Polk, the Home of Heroes' and for some reason it gave Hermione hope. She was a skeptical person about things like destiny or fate, but here and right now, she felt relieved and that things could look up again.

As soon as they passed through, four soldiers closed the heavy doors behind her. More of the heavily armed and uniformed men and women were around the base. Some of them had larger weapons and were clothed in heavy gear. Ready-to-battle. Hermione and Jon, who followed the three soldiers further into the base, received many curious glances. Hermione noted that snipers were positioned on the various roofs of buildings, the perimeter wall and even on look out towers, who kept watch for any threats or danger. She had never seen such a heavily guarded place in her life.

Jon finally calmed down just as they reached a large decontamination street that was made of a makeshift tent. It was a military based one, which she had seen during her stay in the Alexandria airport. The soldiers and a doctor were already waiting for them. Hermione's arms tightened on Jon unintentionally. Just as they reached the area, a car pulled up and halted in front of them.

"What the hell is going on here?" a loud commanding voice barked out. Hermione watched silently, as a tall man, with red neat-cropped hair and a long mustache, got out of the car and walked towards them. The soldiers immediately stood straight and saluted at the man, who was followed by a Latin American woman.

"Sergeant Ford, Sir," the man next to her addressed him formally, before he quickly explained the situation, on how they had heard the baby's cry and the way they had handled the situation.

"We have her credentials here, sir," the other soldier spoke up and held up her cards towards Sergeant Ford, who took it.

Sergeant Ford turned towards the woman next to him, and said, "Private Espinosa, run them through the system and get back to me ASAP. Inform the General of the situation."

"Yes, sir," she said and took off.

Sergeant Ford turned towards Hermione and pierced her with his hard blue eyes, before he looked back at his men and doctor and ordered them in a clear voice, "Get them cleaned up and make sure that they aren't infected."

"Sir, yes, sir!" the soldiers saluted and moved to follow his order. Sergeant Ford walked back towards the car and pulled out the walkie from the car. He said something that Hermione couldn't hear.

"Ma'am?"

Hermione turned around towards the voice and was faced with an elderly man, who wore a white coat and smiled at her.

"I'm Dr. Mason, a surgeon at the Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital here at Ford Polk. Please come along so that we can begin the examination."

Hermione followed him into the tent, towards a table where someone had already put her bag on it. She looked around and inspected the place closely. The tent had been divided in simple two sections; one left and right. Each side had from what she could see three showerheads and individual shower hoses.

"Ma'am, could I see the baby, please."

Hermione's eyes fell at the child in her arms, who was still strapped on her front. She noted that her protectiveness towards the child had grown immensely, since she was with him. She knew that she would do anything to make sure that Jon was safe. No matter what. With a frown and critical glint in her eyes she looked back at the doctor and asked, "What do you plan to do with him? You know that he is way too small to go through the decontamination procedure."

"I know, ma'am. I will only examine him, to make sure he wasn't bitten or otherwise injured. A simple examination and nothing more. I won't do anything that could harm the child," he explained calmly and gave her a reassuring smile.

Hermione nodded after a moment and walked closer to the table. She slowly removed Jon from the carrying bag. Jon immediately began to fidget, which meant that he didn't want to move. Hermione could see that he was tired and probably hungry by now.

"It's alright," she spoke softly to Jon and gave him a gentle kiss on his forehead, before she gave him to the doctor.

"I will stay and watch," Hermione said firmly and left no room for discussion.

"Yes, of course," Dr. Mason replayed gently. He still kept his calm demeanor, as he began to undress Jon slowly. Hermione stood next to him and watched his every move, to made sure that he didn't hurt him. She observed the doctor examine Jon with watchful eyes, to make sure he wouldn't hurt the baby and to reassure herself that Jon hadn't been harmed during through the woods. With dreaded anticipation, she stood still and observed the whole procedure.

"Your son is well and healthy. No symptoms of infections or any other injuries," he said with a smile.

Hermione sighed in relief and returned the elderly man's smile for the first time.

"Thank you, Dr. Mason," she said and looked at him hesitantly. "He isn't my son. His mother… she died and I promised her that I would take care of him," Hermione explained softly.

The doctor's face darkened at the information, before he looked back at Hermione, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Hermione only nodded and watched as the doctor went to get a bottle with a clear liquid. Her eyes narrowed at the bottle and as the doctor saw her face, he explained, "It is still unknown what causes this infection in the first place. The General ordered that every newcomer or anyone who came in close contact with the infected needs to decontaminate themselves. Since, the child is too young for that, I will need to disinfect him manually, ma'am, but don't worry, it's PH-skin neutral."

"Could I see the bottle, please?"

"Of course," he said and gave her the bottle. Hermione quickly read the inscriptions, before she opened the bottle and smelled the contents. It lacked a sharp and penetrating smell. As a precaution, she put a few drops on her hand to see if it was safe, but when nothing happened, she returned the bottle back to the doctor. He smiled at her, understandingly, before he began to clean rub Jon all over with it. Hermione watched intently for any rash or reactions, but as nothing happened, Hermione calmed down and watched as he began to dress Jon in a clean white adult t-shirt.

"Now, that the little man is declared healthy now, let's get you settled in, ma'am."

She nodded, as Jon was getting agitated and cranky.

"I have a bottle ready in my bag." She opened her backpack and pulled out a prepared bottle of formula. She would have warmed it up quickly with her magic, but it would do without. The doctor gestured to a soldier to come forward and placed Jon in his arm with the bottle in it.

"Come along, ma'am," he said and walked towards the far side of the tent, which gave her a little privacy. There was only one female soldier among the people as Hermione began to undress in front of her and the doctor, who discretely looked away. Hermione felt the invisible wand holster on her left forearm and kept it on. There were so many charms on it that no one would detect them, nor could it be damaged by this level of chemicals. Only rare and the most physical damaging chemicals could damage such a magically warded wand holster.

She cleared her throat and felt herself blush furiously. "I'm ready," Hermione spoke up. The doctor immediately and methodically went to work, checked her over for any bite or other wounds, took her temperature and examined her eyes.

"All clear. No wounds or signs of infections," he declared in a relieved voice, before he went to prepare the showers.

Hermione covered herself with her arms, as she asked, "Umm… Dr. Mason what substances will be used?" She couldn't hide her nervousness to the upcoming procedure. Overall, she had experienced two of such disinfection methods. One was because of the training and the other was due to an accident caused by a colleague of her, who had dropped a bottle of high concentrate dichloromethane and got the whole department in panic.

"Well, there will be three procedures. I believe it's a standard decontamination process. The first stage will a shower of ortho-phthalaldehyde, the next one with benzalkonium chloride and lastly washed with distilled water."

Hermione nodded silently. She knew that these chemicals were quite strong against bacteria, viruses and fungi. It was a good method to keep the place save. Her thoughts cut short, the moments she stepped into the shower, as it turned on immediately. It directly sprayed all over her, and yet the female soldier took the shower hoses and made sure that her body was completely soaked in the chemical. The whole procedure took almost half an hour and her skin became completely raw, pink and she stunk of chemicals, and yet, she never felt cleaner as she did right now. Hermione quickly dressed in the given clothes provided by the female soldier and braided her hair to the side, and lastly took her disinfected backpack. She quickly put her hand inside the bag and sighed in relief the moment she felt inside her hidden pocket and her beaded handbag.

After she finally left the tent she made her way towards the soldier, who was still holding Jon in his arms. As she went closer she noted that he was fast asleep. She felt unsure if she should take him from the man's arms or just leave him sleeping. As if he could read her mind, the soldier said, "I will take care of him, ma'am."

Hermione smiled at him and said, "Thank you."

"Dr. Granger," called a voice she recognized to the red haired Sergeant Ford. She turned towards the man who was approaching her, followed by the same female soldier who had left with her ID cards.

"I'm Sergeant Abraham Ford. The background check on your ID's came out positive. The only thing, which wasn't listed, was the child. Care to explain?"

"His mother died and she entrusted her child with me. I promised that I would take care of him."

The sergeant stared at Hermione silently, until he gave a sharp nod and told her, "Please follow me. The General wants to speak with you."

"What about my- Jon?" Hermione asked, after she corrected her almost slip up and pointed at the sleeping child.

"Private Donovan will take care of him and return the baby to you as soon as we are done," he spoke with a clear voice, as he addressed the man, who answered immediately, "Yes, sir."

"Now, come along, Dr. Granger. We don't have all day," Sergeant Ford said and began to walk towards the car. With one last look at the sleeping baby, she quickly followed Sergeant Ford towards the car. She barely got into the vehicle, as he took off. Both sat in silence for a wile, until he suddenly said, "It's a brave thing you did." At her confused look he explained, "Taking in a child, especially when the world goes to shit. I assume the mother got bitten?"

Even as he drove, he stared at Hermione with watchful eyes.

"She had been already bitten, when I found her." Hermione left out the two men, who assaulted the woman. "She tried to find somewhere safe for her son," she explained and then looked away.

She could still feel his eyes on her, as she kept silent. Sergeant Ford didn't say anything else and soon they finally arrived at the building and went inside. There were so many corridors, doors and dozens of people everywhere. She didn't know how long they had walked, until they reached a huge meeting room, filled with computers and TV screens. Sergeant Ford made his way towards a tall, elderly man with white hair who wore way more decoration than any other soldier in the room.

The moment they stood in front of him, Sergeant Ford saluted and said, "General Pierce, Sir, this is Dr. Granger."

The General hold out his hand towards Hermione and said, "Dr. Granger, nice to have you here."

Hermione shook his hand and gave him a small smile and said, "Thank you for having me here, sir."

"I've heard and read a lot about you, doctor, and I am glad that you reached us after all."

At her confused look, he continued, "Staff Sergeant Smith contacted me the day the Alexandria Airport got overrun and informed me about the situation, as well as who you are. To be honest with you, Dr. Granger, we didn't expect you to make it, after a few days since your departure."

"Wouldn't have thought to see you again, Dr. Granger," a familiar voice behind her spoke up. She twirled around and saw Staff Sergeant Smith walk towards them.

"Likewise, sir," Hermione said honestly. She didn't think that she would have ever seen the commanding and strict sergeant again. "But I'm glad that I was wrong."

He only gave her a little smile and nod, before turned to look at the General and announced, "Sir, Washington will be online in fifteen-hundred."

The General thanked him and Hermione watched as Smith went to one of the monitors that was occupied by one of the soldiers, talked to him while the other man continued to type on the keyboard.

"I've read all about your work and your position with the WHO and CDC and I am more than pleased about the information I've got, doctor," the General spoke up, caught her attention as she followed him down towards the bigger monitors. "I have another scientist here on the base, Dr. Walter Harris, a professor in microbiology. We have been already setting up a lab for him, and now for you too, so that you both can now figure out what the heck is going on here. The lab should be ready to go, very soon. Dr. Harris will join us soon."

"Sir," Hermione asked, just as they reached the computer place, "Isn't the CDC facility better equipped for such work? We could work there as well."

He looked at her for a moment, watched her with slightly narrowed eyes, until he said, "You have been in the dark, haven't you?"

Hermione reluctantly nodded and said, "I've been in the dark since Alexandria."

"To make it short, it's simply not possible. There isn't a health organization facility standing anymore. Not in Louisiana. The other closest facility is in Atlanta, Georgia and going there is too risky."

Hermione nodded in understanding, as she watched him look at the watch and then turned towards Sergeant Ford, who still stood next to her and said, "Please brief Dr. Granger of the situation and give her any relevant information she needs. Afterwards, provide her with a living arrangements."

"Yes, sir," he said and saluted to the General, who copied the move.

"I will see you later, Dr. Granger. Glad to have you on board."

"Thank you, sir," she said and watched him leave the room.

"Well, let's do this, doc," Sergeant Ford said, "So, you're completely in the dark since Alexandria?"

Hermione nodded silently and watched as the soldier on the computer opened several files on the screen. It showed the world map, covered in red, yellow, and green dots. She noted that there were almost no green areas left anymore. The screen zoomed onto the US map and almost the whole east, west side and partially the center of the United States was covered in red, with several yellow spots. The majority of the yellow markings were in the center and the only green area was in Montana, North Dakota and part of Minnesota.

"The map shows the state in three zones. Red, yellow and green. The red zones are the area where the outbreak have completely taken over and declared lost for us. A few bases are still holding their places," Sergeant Ford trailed off and left it there and then pointed at the yellow marked states, "The yellow marked states are currently still in control of the area and can contain the situation and the green markings haven't faced any outbreaks and are secure.

"Washington is sealed off. The president, two of six drawn chiefs are in different secured facilities and are in contact with us. The Vice President, the Speaker and the other four of six drawn chiefs are missing. Washington is a mess but the underground system, bunkers and high secure buildings are still standing."

"Does… does anyone know how this happened?"

"Negative. The source or cause of the outbreak is still unknown. The first infected case has been recorded 161 days ago. Project Wildfire got in place 160 days ago. The global outbreak began 29 days ago." He pointed behind her at an electronic watch, which counted the day of the global outbreak and the beginning of Project Wildfire. "Dr. Harris will give the necessary details on this case and the research."

From another side of the room, she saw snippets of footage of different news channels, or video clips from social media that recorded the outbreak in the cities. It showed people on the street that rioted on the streets or looted stores. Other video clips showed people running and screaming from a certain direction. Areas were seen to be sealed off. Countless dead bodies lay on the ground. It was utter chaos and madness.

"Have there been any reports on a person who got bitten, but not infected? Shown any signs of immunity?" Hermione asked, as she turned around and looked at the map closely. She noted at the corner of the screen a set of numbers that were continuously growing. Hermione was certain it showed the approximated death number of the infected. A cold shiver ran down her spin at the thought and the incredible amount of digits.

"Negative. No such report has been made or reported in any database." Ford answered.

"Database?" Hermione wondered out loud and looked around and looked at the computers and boards closely.

"We have a fully functional data base, satellite based internet access, which is connected with the central base of the United States government in Washington, the CDC, WHO and other health organizations in the States and several others in the world. Well, those who are still standing and operating. The entire Fort Polk base operates on their own generated energy and can sustain itself easily."

Hermione's eyes widened and she looked hopefully at the Sergeant. "Is it… Is it possible to get in contact with the WHO in England?"

The Sergeant looked at the man on the chair who silently nodded and began to type quickly on the keyboards. Several screens popped up, until camera footage showed the premises of the WHO building. Hermione gasped in horror at what she saw. It was completely devastated. Fences were open and partly damaged. Another set of footage showed broken windows, dark blood smeared doors, corpses on the ground or the dead walking around.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears at the loss of her colleagues and friends. The man on the computer explained gently, after he went through the written information, "The logs state that we had lost all contact on May 17th. On May 18th we declared the loss of the WHO facility, ma'am."

Hermione looked away, and bit her lip, as she tried to stop her tears that threatened to fall. She could hear on the phone as the soldiers gave information to the other base, ordered them to evacuate, or how to reach the next base. On the far side, one man had put his face into his hands, in front of the screen and looked defeated.

"Dr. Granger?" Ford's voice caught her attention and made her look back. The footage had been closed.

"We have the data, copy of the research and other connections with the CDC and WHO. You will be able to have access to them. A computer and all the necessary devices will be set up in your new lab, which should be ready in a few days."

Hermione nodded before she frowned in confusion, "Sergeant Ford, wouldn't it be easier to get us, Dr. Harris, wasn't it, and myself to the CDC Headquarter in Atlanta, instead of building a lab here? I know General Pierce stated that it wasn't possible, but there are devices and supplies that you won't find easily anywhere else, or at all, beside their facility."

Ford turned towards the man on the computer and told him, "Show it to her."

And with a few clicks, the screen showed footage of the facility surrounded by those undead things, military cars abandoned, infected soldiers and people, even some of them wearing a white coats among them.

"Almost every part of Georgia became a red zone. There is no way we could evacuate them without risking the loss of our people. Fort Benning is the closest military compound with over 120,000 active-duty soldiers and their family. Even they cannot risk an evacuation at the CDC. They have their own problems. They take in all the refugees and give the civilians a safe place to stay.

"The CDC isn't a priority anymore, cause they are safe where they are right now. Nothing can penetrate that building. It's a fucking fortress. From what we know, that place can run on itself for 18 months straight and equal amount of food supplies. And here comes Doc Harris."

Hermione turned around and looked in the same direction. An elderly man with grey hair, who was slightly taller than Hermione, was escorted by a younger soldier. He was already smiling brightly in her direction and as soon as they reached them, the elderly man grabbed Hermione's hand and shook them in both of his hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I would have preferred it under better circumstances, maybe an event or even conference, but this will do too."

Hermione blinked several times at the man. She noted that the others were trying to hide their smiles at the display.

"Dr. Granger, meet Dr. Harris, a scientist in biology."

"Microbiology. Professor at the University in Louisiana, well had been," he corrected Ford and stilled smiled broadly at Hermione. "I have heard and read all about you and your journal publication, Dr. Granger. And now seeing you here," his smiled dropped a little and said more seriously, "I'm glad that you are well. It would have been a great loss to our world if anything should have happened to you."

Hermione was touched at his words and smiled gently in return. She noted that the other people in the room watched them. Dr. Harris looked back at Sergeant Ford and the other soldiers, as he declared, "With her there is a real chance to find a solution to this madness. She is a genius. A pioneer in her field."

Hermione blushed at the attention and gave him a shy smile. "Thank you, Dr. Harri-"

"Never refuse praise for your achievement, and it's Walter, Dr. Granger. I have to show you the lab we have been working on. The General and the people here were generous enough to get the supplies and devices we will need to begin our work. I would be happy if you could have a look at the supply and device list, which I have put together. Since your vast knowledge in the field of genetics and toxicology, I am at a disadvantage of the supplies you would need."

Hermione smiled at the elderly man in front of her and said, "I already look forward to working with you, Dr.- Walter and please call me Hermione."

"Nice touching moment, docs'" Sergeant Ford's voice spoke up, "But we need to hurry up, and keep on schedule."

"Of course, of course, Abraham. Go on," Walter said to Ford, who glared at the mention of his name, but the elderly man was completely obvious to the glare and smiled broadly.

"Oh, Hermione, my dear. I've completely forgot to introduce you to my son, Seth Walter Harris. He got me here when everything went crazy."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," Seth said and gave her a kind smile, which looked quite similar to his father. He was quite attractive, with his brown hair and eyes and the charming smile.

"Likewise," Hermione said, before she looked back at Sergeant Ford who glared at them.

"Are the fluffy moments done, now?"

Walter leaned towards Hermione and whispered, quite loudly, "Don't mind him, my dear. It's the hair color."

Hermione put her hand in front of her stop herself from laughing out loud. She knew how red head could be quite hot headed, if they wanted to be. Walter's son coughed suddenly, as the other soldier at the computer sniggered lightly at the comment. Sergeant Ford had clearly heard it as well, cause he suddenly smacked the soldier on the computer at the head and glared at Walter fiercely, who in return had a thoughtful look.

"Do you think, that the hotheaded temper, assuming it is based on the hair color, that it could have genetic relevance, which has an impact on the personality? Maybe the altered gene, give an extra hormone transmission towards the nervous system? Could explain, why red heads act that way, well, the majority of them of course. We wouldn't want to think stereotypical, now would we."

Hermione bit her lip from laughing and only nodded in return, as more coughs could be heard around them.

"Dr. Harris!" came the angry voice of Ford.

"Yes?" the elderly man looked at Sergeant, completely ignorant to his mood.

"We have a conference now with CDC at Atlanta. Do you mind?"

"Of course not!" Walter said scandalized. "Go on, connect them already. I bet Candace will be pleased to hear from you as well, my dear."

It took only a few moments to get in contact with the CDC and Hermione smiled as she saw Candace Jenner and her husband Edwin, and a handful of other scientists around them. She had met the couple several times since she worked for the CDC. Both Candace and Hermione stayed in touch soon after and even visited each other whenever the other was nearby. After exchanging a few pleasantries and greetings, they began to talk about the current situation.

"We don't have much now, Hermione," Candace began to explain. "We have made several blood samples from the infected in different stages of the infection phase, from different blood types of the disease and it always shows the same reactions. We have tested on the living test subjects and took all kinds of samples. You will find them all in the database. Get briefed and call me back again, Hermione. We need a new pair of eyes here."

"Yes, I will do that, as soon as possible," she said as she frowned at something she said, and asked worriedly, "Candace, what do you mean with living test subjects."

"We have one of the infected here. But don't worry. He is contained in a room and we took every measurement and followed protocol on highly contagious patients."

Hermione's eyes widened and she looked at Walter and Ford to see if they knew about this. They wore an equal look of shocked faces. Ford looked downright pissed at the information.

"You failed to inform us that you have a threat at the CDC, Dr. Jenner."

"Last time I checked, I was still the person in charge here, Sergeant. How I do my job is none of your business."

"Yes, it is. If it puts you, the scientists and the facility at risk, then yes, it is my god damn business! Fucking hell!" Ford cursed loudly, drawing the attention of the others around her, before he walked off, outside the room.

Hermione grimaced and said, "I'm sorry, Candace. I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

She waved her hand and brushed it off. "Don't worry. It's not your fault. I kept it a secret and well, they never asked me, how I did my job. Seriously, how did they think I could make the tests here or get samples?"

"My dear," Walter began, "This is no matter to joke. This is very dangerous. You know how contagious they are and you are only a few there without back-up." He raised his hand to stop her from protesting. "I know how important this is for you, but please be careful."

She smiled in return and promised to do, as suddenly Sergeant Ford came with Staff Sergeant Smith in tow.

"Private Harris, please escort Dr. Harris and Dr. Granger out, and show her to her new domicile," said Smith.

"Yes, Staff Sergeant, sir." Seth saluted before he escorted both his father and Hermione outside the room, down to a different corridor and left the building. Meanwhile, both, father and son explained to Hermione how to get around and where to find certain places and the building she would live from now on. It was a five story building and next to it stood a large metal box like container. It looked quite new and the closer they got, the more Hermione could see that soldiers worked on part of the outer form, while several soldiers were moving in and around the box working on it or carrying office furniture inside. The whole newly build facility was the size of a one story warehouse.

"It looks fantastic, doesn't it," said Walter next to her. Hermione looked back at him and saw him look at the warehouse as well. "I told the general what would be required to build up a laboratory to work on a vaccine and he agreed to build it right here. Really great General that he is."

"But, a lab could have been set up in a building."

"It could have, but the risk of decontaminating a whole building, if it ever came to such a situation, would create too much damage. A lab outside the building would reduce the risk of getting people hurt."

Hermione nodded in understanding. If she could have used her magic freely, such an extreme protection measure wouldn't be necessary, alas, she wouldn't complain. It did look huge and she looked forward to see more later of it.

They finally walked into the five-story building, which stood right next to the warehouse. They walked up onto the third floor and stopped in front of the seventh door. Inside was the same soldier with Jon, who was on the couch and awake, playing with the soldier's fingers, trying to pull them into his mouth.

"Ma'am, I thought it would be best to get the baby in a quieter environment-"

"Thank you, Mr Donovan for taking care of Jon," Hermione cut in with a smile. "I hope it wasn't too difficult."

"The calmest baby I've ever seen, ma'am. He woke up only half an hour ago."

Hermione smiled and looked at Jon who stretched his arms towards her. Unable to resist him, she closed the distance and picked him up. She kissed his forehead, before settling him in her arms.

"Oh, my dear, you have such a beautiful baby," Walter said, as soon as he stood next to Hermione and looked at Jon.

"Thank you, but he isn't my child." At his confused look, she explained quickly, the circumstances on how she got Jon. The elderly man's face saddened at the news and patted Hermione on the shoulder.

"But now, since you intend to keep Jon and take care of him, you became his mother in all but blood and Jon became your son, Hermione."

Hermione looked thoughtfully at Jon, whose wide bright blue eyes looked at her intently. As if he understood what she was thinking, or how important the moment was for both of them. Hermione could tell that Jon was special. Someone she would protect with every fiber in her body. She already had come to love the child unconditionally.

Hermione finally smiled at him, which he returned with his own big toothless smile and began to push his arms and legs happily. Hermione laughed lightly at the display and kissed him again. She felt for the first time since all this began, safe and even happy.

* * *

**9****th**** June 2011,** **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

A number of soldiers carried boxes and devices into the newly built warehouse like lab. They barely gave them any attention and only asked where to store or put the carried objects.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Walter sat at a big table, with a big white board on her left, surrounded by papers and journals. Jon slept next to her in a makeshift baby cot, made out a big cardboard box, oblivious to the commotion around him, thanks to Hermione's silencing spell she had secretly put around him.

Walter began to explain all the findings and research they had on Project Wildfire that they had put together since it had begun. Now, they would begin to get an overview on their findings and strategize a plan on how to proceed from there. Walter walked up to the board and began to list 'Infection Process', 'Possible Cause', 'Possible Solution', 'Lab Equipment &amp; Supplies' and after Hermione suggested that they should analyze the behavior in order to understand more about the characteristics of the virus, Walter added 'Behavior' next to the 'Infection Process'.

"So far it has been reported that every infected person had direct contact with the…well, undead," Walter stated and began to write in the first section. "Bites, wounds inflected injures, are the source of the infection." He continued to list the symptoms of the infection, as well as the time durance, from the first infection, to death, and to the reanimation, which varies randomly from eight hours down to just three minutes. No wonder things went so fast out of control.

"Due to the type of infection, we could safely assume that the pathogen can be transmitted through saliva, blood and body secretions, maybe even possible through skin or mucous membrane, but we haven't any proof of that yet. So far there had been no infected animals reported. The CDC tried tests on animals, but none of them showed symptoms of the infection. After contact with the unknown pathogen, the test subjects died but did not reanimate."

"So, the question remains, from where did the pathogen originate and how did it spread? With all the chaos going on, I assume that patient zero has never been found?"

"Actually, there is something I wanted to show you," Walter said and rummaged through his, until he pulled out a thick file that had 'CLASSIFIED' written in large red letters over it. Walter held it out for her, which Hermione took gingerly.

"This is the first report on a strange case in South America. At first it had been believed that the patient, a researcher, simply got crazy from what they believed to be a rabies infection, which they deducted he got from an animal attack during his expedition, but the autopsy didn't show any such indication. The official report stated a mix of infection inflicted during his stay at the continent."

Hermione nodded and read the report quickly, but before she got further, she frowned at the paper.

"They only label it as an unknown pathogen. Not able to identify it."

"I know, my dear. It's quite frustrating, if I say so. That's why another possibility would be that the disease was spread by insects, which could explain why the outbreak occurred almost everywhere at the same time."

"But a single insect to go all over the world, and able to withstand the different climate changes is almost impossible."

"Almost, but not impossible."

Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "Did the CDC or anyone else inspect the water supplies? It could be a waterborne pathogen. An airborne one, should have infected more people. Anyway, did anyone report an infection after drinking water or any other liquids?"

"No. No such reports have been made. The CDC did check the water and food supplies in the beginning, but the test results were all clear."

"Could it be a designed pathogen? An act of terrorism? Or just a crazy scientist playing god?"

"That could be another possibility, my dear. This pathogen is new, that's for sure. Therefore we cannot rule this out as well. As for the crazy scientist theory, it could be that our patient zero here be indeed its first victim of either his own creation or was just a poor bastard, who simply got infected first."

"What is known about him?" Hermione asked and looked through the large file until she found 'Patient Zero'. Pictures of the scientist were inside, alive and dead, after his transformation.

"All we know is that patient zero was Dr. Magnus Morris, an anthropologist; specialist in the field of paleopathology and another degree in virology. He had left the states after he was accused of immoral use of sources and the way he worked. Morris wanted to be able to work freely without restraint, and later became a scientist in South America. No one really knew what he was working on. Dr. Morris lived in isolation. You will find a copy of his latest work attached in the file as well, but they were pretty useless. To sum it up, he wrote and theorized his findings of fossils, evolution theories and such. There was nothing that could be useful for us, but please be my guest and have a look as well."

Hermione nodded and closed the file. She would go through it later and see if she could find anything useful in it.

"Did anyone analyze the blood and salvia samples from the infected?" Hermione asked, effectively changing the topic, as she pulled out another file from the CDC and looked through it.

"Yes, but unfortunately, no one could identify the substance?"

Hermione looked up in surprise, and asked perplexed, "Still? How can this be? They had months before the global outbreak to identify Morris' Pathogen and yet, they were still unable to?"

"I wish I had a plausible answer to that, my dear. Every other scientist came up with another possible theories, explaining and reasoning, why they failed or theorized what it could be, but with no proof or breakthrough."

Hermione shook her head in annoyance. "Why didn't they get the field experts in all scientific areas involved with this case? I didn't even know nor have I ever heard of the unknown disease or Project Wildfire, until I was in the middle of it. I can assure you that no one from WHO knew about this disease as well." She didn't mention that she had the highest clearance at the facility due to her magical work status and therefore would have known when something like this happened.

"Trust me, I am as baffled as you. I didn't know about the occurrence either. Maybe they tried to hide this pathogen, who knows their reasoning. Anyway, after the first news report of an outbreak in Louisiana, my son brought me here, to the base. I am a professor as you know. Taught microbiology at the Southeastern Louisiana University. It was here at the base that I found out about the situation, got briefed at Project Wildfire and in contact with the CDC teams. Not the most forth-coming folks, I tell you," he snored at the thought of the CDC people.

"Who was, or is, in charge of this? Project Wildfire, I mean."

"Dr. James Bishop. Dr. Bishop died on the field five weeks ago."

Hermione remembered the older and very arrogant man from her visits at the CDC facility. No wonder that no one knew of this disease. He was a brilliant scientist but completely paranoid.

Hermione rubbed her forehead in frustration and concluded, "So to sum it up of what we know is basically, that this unknown pathogen could be some sort of toxin, probably a mutated poison, virus, bacteria? Or a parasite? Maybe a new one? That could have originated from anything?"

Walter nodded and quickly wrote it down on the board under Possible Cause section.

"Pretty much," Walter answered before he turned around. "That's why I think that it would be for the best, if we get our own samples and begin to break the pathogen down and see with what we have to deal with. Maybe we could get an infected, so that we can autopsy and analyze it further?"

Hermione grimaced at the thought, but nodded at the suggestion. She knew that this was necessary for their work. She watched Walter put the previous thought on the 'Lab Equipment &amp; Supplies' section, as she pulled out her own journal.

"During my journey here and to Alexandria, I documented the behavior of those undead things," she began. "I've witnessed how the undead responded to sensory stimulation, such as light, scent and loud noises. Also they don't have any sense of self-preservation and have only the purpose to eat, maybe even to infect. They don't appear to feel, at least not physically and have no communication form between the living. What I did notice, though, but I am not sure what it could mean, is that they do have some sort of communication. I noticed relatively in the beginning that several of the undead followed one or two other undead in a certain direction. Like a little group.

"On their physical characteristics, their baser instinct seems to be the bite, or grab, claw, tear and even use blunt force, like fists. They also don't seem to tire or need having the need to rest or sleep. The good thing though, is that they are for some reason not able to run and move too fast. It's like a motor function or physical damage to their body during or after the turn, which made it impossible for the undead to have the full capacity of their physical body… I don't even want to imagine it."

"Me too, dear," Walter agreed and continued to list Hermione's observation on the board and added here and there possible theories or notes.

"Maybe we should give this list of characteristics and behavior of the undead to the General, to prepare and make the people here aware of the danger," he suggested afterwards.

"That's a good idea, Walter," Hermione agreed with a smile and continued with her next observation, "So far, every report stated that only a shot through the head was the only way to kill them. Did you witness any other method that resulted in the same outcome?"

"No. Not yet. The only way to eliminate the undead is by damaging the brain, which makes me believe that this may be the center of the disease location; the brain, possibly the brainstem."

"Possible. Maybe it controls a certain part of the brain as well?" Hermione suggested, which Walter added the question on the board.

"So, the question remains. What caused this? What type of pathogen can kill a person and reanimate it shortly after? I think we should identify the pathogen first and understand it. Could I see the list of the supplies, please?"

Walter handed her the list and read it quickly through. She found it satisfactory. All the important chemicals and lab equipments were listed. She suggested, more toxic and dangerous chemicals, like Cyanide, Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride, Leucovorin, and several others.

"How about more dangerous pathogens?" Walter suggested afterwards. "Nothing that could get easily out of control or could create a deadly air contamination. I was thinking of something like a virus or bacteria. Since we don't know with what we are dealing with, it would be prudent to be prepared than sorry. Even if it doesn't work, we will see the reaction of the unknown pathogen towards the virus or bacteria, which could help us understand the resistance to it."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "And what do you have in plan?"

"Something like Typhus, Meningitis, Rocky Mountain Fever, SARS, H1N1, something like that."

"Makes sense, but hasn't the CDC already tried it? I mean, break it down or destroy it with something like that?"

"They did, or at least tried," Walter sighed deeply. She heard the frustration and annoyance returned in his voice, as soon as she mentioned the CDC. "For some reason none of the results made sense, or were able to make progress. They tried to break it with various biomolecules, phosphates, virus and every result ended with inconclusive, or not successful and their reports were simply not insightful enough. I don't know what they are doing at the CDC, but it is not enough. Candace believes that the key to solving this disease is to understand how it works, meaning how it spreads through the body, kills it and reanimates and she is right about that, but there should be another way to understand this pathogen."

"I agree, Walter. We need to understand it first before we figure out how to stop it and create a vaccine, cure or an antidote. I think we should add several antimicrobials to the list. For the more deadly testing, we could ask the CDC to test it for us. Anyway, even if we don't get further with the agents, we could have use for it later, when the antibiotics run out."

"That's a very good idea! Well, then, my dear, let's begin our battle strategy," he said and smiled at Hermione, which she returned, as they began to theorize the different approaches they could make in order to understand the pathogen better.

They had been working on it for ours, and barely stopped when Jon woke up. She simply attended to him, fed and changed his diapers, while continuing to theorize on the different approach with Walter. Meanwhile, Jon was in her arms or rested on the thick blanket. Even when dinner was brought to them, they simply pushed the papers aside, ate and continued to work.

Thankfully, Jon was a calm baby. He barely fussed and quieted down, as soon as Hermione had him in her lab and gave him a toy. Just when Jon fell asleep in her arm, did they call it a day. She noted that it had gotten quite late and felt a little guilty for putting Jon through this.

"I can already tell that your son is going to be a genius. Never seen a child who listened to science talk and not get sleepy. Always worked with my son to get him to sleep, though."

Hermione chuckled at the image and cradled Jon in her arms. His head rested on her shoulder, as he continued to sleep. She didn't correct Walter this time when he called Jon her son. She already began to see and feel as if he were her own child.

"Are you sure, Walter? I can stay and help you with the papers."

"Don't worry about it. You go home, my dear. I will finish our report about the undead's behavior right away and hand it to the General. Don't think we missed anything. So, go home and enjoy your evening, dear."

"Thank you, Walter. I will see you tomorrow then. Have a good night," Hermione said and after Walter's goodbye, walked out of the warehouse lab, and was immediately greeted by two soldiers.

"Ms- I mean, Dr. Granger, this is Daniel Hale," the dark haired soldiers pointed at his blond partner who nodded once, "and my name is Duncan McGonagall."

Hermione's eyes widened at the name and she looked at him closely. The soldier smiled in return and said, "I guess, I was right that you knew my aunt, Minerva."

Not able to find her voice, Hermione only nodded at the soldier.

"Maybe it would be best, if we took our conversation to a more secure location, and away from muggle ears?"

Hermione could only nod again and followed the soldier to her place. No one said a word the whole time, until they arrived at her place. Hermione let them in, and went straight to her bedroom, where she put Jon in his bed. But before she returned to the small living room, Hermione pulled her wand out from the undetectable wand-holster on her left forearm, and hid it behind her leg.

Slowly, she walked back in the room and stood protectively in front of the bedroom. Both soldiers were still standing in the living room and turned towards her as soon as she entered.

"So, you both are…" Hermione left the words unsaid and observed both of them closely.

"Wizards? Yes, ma'am," concluded the blond soldier, Daniel Hale in a calm voice.

"How do I know that you are not some dark wizard, out for revenge on Voldemort's defeat?" Hermione expected them to flinch but they stood perfectly still, nor did they make any move to get their wands out, which she was sure was somewhere on their body.

"If that was the case, ma'am, we would simply attack you, and attempt to take you away by apparating," the dark haired wizard stated easily. Hermione noted that his blond partner shot him an incredulous look.

"That is not really reassuring."

"Just stating the obvious, ma'am. If there was a way to prove my identity to you, I would."

"There is one way," Hermione said and accioed her beaded bag and pulled out her Mirror, tabbed it with her wand and called out McGonagall's name. Both soldiers' eyes widened and silently waited for the response.

"Hermione, it's good to hear from you. How are you, my dear?"

"Good, thank you, Headmistress. I'm sorry, but I need your assistance at something."

"Of course, what is it?"

"Two soldiers revealed themselves to be wizards. One of them is called Duncan McGonagall." She heard the sharp intact of breath from the other side of the mirror.

"Truly?" Headmistress breathed out.

"Yes, umh… is this your grand-nephew?" Hermione asked and turned the mirror towards the shocked soldiers.

"Oh, Duncan, it has been years, since I saw you," McGonagall began in an emotional voice. Duncan gave an honest smile at the mirror and walked closer to it. Wordlessly, Hermione handed the mirror to the soldier and watched them talk, until Daniel Hale stood next to her.

"We don't have any way to contact the magical world from here, not without leaving the compound, and it would too much question if we just did that now."

"But what about your families? Wouldn't you be rather with them?" she asked confused.

"Duncan and I have our families here. He has a wife and a kid, who is three. My wife is pregnant at the moment. We can't just leave them here and look for other families. They need us here."

Hermione nodded in understanding. If she was in the same position, she knew that she wouldn't leave either.

"If you don't mind me asking," Hermione began tentatively, "How come two wizards became muggle soldiers? Usually, they would become Aurors or Hitwizards. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against it… it's just…"

"Unusual?" He smirked slightly at Hermione's nod. "I know. Well, I think you could say that it's my fault. Duncan and I planned to enter the Hitwizard Academy as soon as we graduated. There was this new recruiting program that just opened up. International Security of Magic, a new Hitwizard branch. Something like the FBI and CIA put together. And to enter this training, we were required to serve in the Muggle Military, in order to get an understanding of the muggle world, their defense, to blend in and able to operate within them in the future. We were actually supposed to finish in October, and then begin our special Hitwizard training, but I guess we are stranded here."

"Could be worse," Hermione said.

"Yes, it could. Anyway, when we heard that Dr. Hermione Granger arrived, we knew that it had to be you. I mean how many Hermione Grangers are out there, who is known to be a muggle scientist, who also works in the magical word, right. We thought, it would be a good idea to introduce us to you."

"Thank you," Hermione said and then added nervously, "I'm sorry for being so short earlier, you both took me by surprise."

"No need to apologize, Dr. Granger. It was perfectly understandable," he reassured her. "There is actually something, we thought that we could offer you. If you like, our families, Duncan's and mine, could take care of Jon, while you work with the Dr. Harris."

"I wouldn't want to impose on your families, Mr Hale," Hermione began but was cut off by the blond man.

"Nonsense, my wife and Duncan's would love to spend time with a baby. They had actually offered it as soon as news spread around that your arrived with a child. We will introduce you to our family, and you can get to know them."

When Hermione was about to protest, he continued, "Just think about it, Dr. Granger. Your work is important and from what I believe not a place for children or anyone else who doesn't have the necessary skills. This would give you more freedom and space to work, without worrying about a baby. And… your work is just too important. For all of us."

Hermione smiled at the man next to her and nodded, "Thank you, Mr Hale. I will think about it."

* * *

**10****th**** June 2011,** **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

"You have a lovely family, Anne and thank you again, for watching over Jon," Hermione said, as she walked out of the little flat from the McGonagalls. Hermione smiled at Jon in Anne's arm, even though a bittersweet emotion went through her. She wanted to take him back, but knew that she needed to work. Thankfully, Jon didn't fuss much and after Hermione gave him his toys she had transfigured for him, he notably calmed down.

"The pleasure is all mine," Anne McGonagall said with a smile. Duncan leaned closer and gave her a little peak on the lips before she closed the door.

"Would you like me to bring him to you, when you are done?"

"Yes, I would like that, thank you, Duncan."

He nodded and said, "I will leave a walkie at the lab, and show you how to contact me or Daniel if you know when you are done, or if anything else should happen."

Hermione nodded silently, as they walked to the car, which would bring her to the warehouse lab and just as they reached it, an electronic peep got the soldier's attention, asked if Hermione was with him.

"Yes, Dr. Granger is here with me. We're heading to the lab. Over."

"The General wants her in the operation room. Dr. Harris is already here. Over."

"Copy that. Will be there in six. Over and out."

"What's going on?" Hermione asked as an uneasiness grew in her.

"I don't know. Something must have happened."

They sat in silence, while Duncan drove them towards the building, which Hermione had entered on her first day. And as soon as they walked into the room, Dr. Harris rushed to her, completely pale and with wide eyes.

"My dear, something terrible happened," he began as they walked towards the General Pierce and the little group that had gathered around them. She noted that Sergeant Ford, Smith and even the female soldier she had met on the first day were there.

"The undead in the lab at the Atlanta CDC got free and attacked the scientists, when they all were still sleeping," Walter explained in a shaky voice.

Hermione gasped horrified at the news, "How could this happen? How many got infected?"

"I don't know. They're trying to find out what happened."

Hermione didn't know how long they waited until a successful connection could be made between them and the CDC in Atlanta. It felt like hours, but hadn't been longer than half an hour, until Dr. Candace Jenner appeared on the screen with her husband Edwin. Hermione instantly noted the pale and sweaty face of Candace and knew what had caused the change. Even Walter, who gave her a somber look, knew what this meant.

"Dr. Jenner, what happened?"

"A scientist from our team, took yesterday samples from the test subject. We wanted… needed as much as possible while it still existed in the resurrected state," Edwin explained in a pain filled voice.

"The person who took the samples didn't secure the test subject accordingly. A few hours later, around 4 am today, we heard screams from the living quarters. Candace, three other scientists and I went to investigate. The test subject infected two others, who had by then died, been resurrected and attacked the others. We immediately tried to contaminate the situation by eliminating them, but I… we were not able to do it fast enough. We only had two weapons and no experience in shooting. We killed two of the three resurrected infected and one other attacked another scientist from our team. Candace tried to help and got bitten in the process, before we could eliminate the threat."

Edwin Jenner looked away and blinked furiously. Hermione sat heavily on the chair, not able to believe the devastated news.

"What is the current situation, Dr.?" General Pierce asked after a moment.

"All the resurrected infected are eliminated. Three scientists and that includes me, are not infected, but we will still go through protocol and have blood work done on us. Candace…"

"I am infected, sir," Candace spoke up. Everyone was silent. Hermione noticed that the people around them had listened to the video feed and stopped with what they were doing.

After a moment, Candace continued, "I will let my body be monitored and my brain examined by a MRI scan after, before Edwin eliminates… my body. This should give us an idea on how this pathogen should work. With your access to the CDC computer board, you will get the information and results as soon as possible. Edwin and the others will examine my remains and research with it accordingly."

Candace suddenly coughed heavily and Edwin immediately gave her a cup of water, which she drank heartily from. From the way they talked about this, Hermione assumed that both of them had already discussed this with each other before they told this to the General and the others. Candace then looked up and back at the screen.

"Are… are Dr. Harris and Dr. Granger there?"

"Yes, yes, my dear, we are here," Walter spoke up gravely, before anyone could say anything. "I am so terrible sorry," he began to say but Candace waved him off.

"In our desperation we became careless," she said. "Walter, Hermione? I need you both to work with Edwin and the others to find a solution. I have to believe that this… should give you enough evidence to understand how this pathogen operates."

Hermione was unable to say anything. She felt as if it became dry and closed off. She didn't know what to do. What could she say in such a situation? Walter must have said something as the General took over again.

Walter and Hermione agreed to stay in the room. They watched as Candace became weaker and Edwin more devastated by the hour. They prepared the room, with the video feed from the room and saw how he strapped his wife on the gurney. After a heartfelt and emotional goodbye, he moved his wife into a modern MRI machine and waited in the same room with her. The other scientist monitored the machine and recorded the results. Hermione noticed that he had a weapon in his hand, which he put in his coat as he took a chair and sat next to his wife. She could see his lips moving on the screen. It broke her heart.

Hermione remembered the couple from the Capitol, how his husband had left his infected wife behind, heartbroken and devastated. She wondered how many more people had lost someone their loved or worse, were about to lose someone in the future.

This whole situation, the loss of so many scientists and friends became more of an impossibility.

"It's like the greatest burden, impossible to solve," Hermione mused out loud quietly. "How are we going to do that?"

Walter took her hand in his and patted it gently, "We will find it, my dear… we have to believe in it and do the best we can."

"Even if it seems to become an impossibility, Walter? We don't even have a real lab yet." Hermione couldn't hide the desperation in her voice. This pathogen was vicious and unstoppable for now, and to find anything against it, they would need a whole team of the best scientists in the world.

"Then we will just make the impossible possible," he smiled at her assuringly. "We will find a way to stop this, Hermione. We just have to stay strong."

Hermione nodded and gave him a grateful smile, as they both silently watched the last hours of their friends.

Shortly after, they noticed that Jenner's shoulder slumped over and he began to cry in earnest. Hermione had to look away, as tears began to fall. The soldier on the computer confirmed Candace's official death and begun to count down toward her reanimation.

Two hours, one minute and seven seconds later, the screen got the update of the first signals of brain activity, but the only thing they saw soon after, was the movement of the strapped hand. It twitched, clawed, scratched and tried to break loose. They could clearly see that the body tried to move and get out of the gurney.

Edwin pulled out his weapon and stood up. He looked for a moment at the thing that used to be his wife, before he aimed the gun at the base of her head, which followed by a flash of light. Edwin began to cry in earnest and Hermione couldn't see anymore, through her own tears. She quickly stood up and walked away, as she furiously wiped the tears away.

* * *

**12****th**** June 2011,** **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

The warehouse lab, as Hermione began to call it, was filled with boxes and soldiers, who carried more boxes and other things into the lab. Hermione helped coordinated the necessary items in the right places, while Walter made sure that the military technicians and other soldiers built up the sensitive equipment and various computers.

It had been a long day and she knew that it would take a few more to finally settle in and begin their work, but she was, for the first time really optimistic and happy about the process. Until they were informed about the communication between the CDC and themselves.

"From what we know, Jenner tried to shut down the scrubbers in order to converse electricity. He damaged the central electricity distributor, which resulted in losing the electrical grid and damaged the communication channel in the line through a short circuit probably."

Hermione and she could see Walter as well, looked at each other in confusion.

"What does this mean? That his computers aren't working?" Hermione asked confused.

"No, ma'am. It means he can't communicate with us, or any other state here in America. We cannot send any information or contact him in any form, and the CDC cannot contact us. Our analyst discovered that he could only get in contact with a few European facilities, like Spain, France and Switzerland. The good news is, we still have access to the CDC mainframe and that of the database, as well as the cameras linked to the facility. We will secure all information's, files and other important documents and software they have on the mainframe. A safety measure the General wants. We will try to build a connection between us and the remaining European facilities, but the problem is that they operate on a different interface and have a different firewall. "

"Is there anyway to contact the CDC? Don't any of them have a phone? Satellite phone?" asked Walter, visibly upset about the situation.

"Unfortunately, no, sir. There isn't any other way to contact them. We can only watch and receive any information that has been put into their computer or has been recorded by the cameras."

"Which means, they will believe that there are completely alone and that no one is out there anymore. That we probably have died," Hermione concluded the situation for them. The once happy atmosphere completely changed to something morbid and depressive.

This time the technicians lost his composed posture and looked as well distraught at the situation. "I'm sorry. I wish there was a way to contact the CDC, explain them how to fix the problem, but without an open line, I cannot do anything. The only possible hope we have is by getting in contact with the European facility and get news to the CDC. That is the only option we have. We will do our best to get a connection with them and us, but it will take some time."

Hermione knew that this was the only hope they had to contact Edwin. She didn't want to imagine how he must feel now. First he lost his friends, his wife and now he doesn't have any means to get outside contact. She wished she could help him. If he had been a wizard, she could have sent him a Patronus and told him the situation, maybe even helped him fix the problem that way.

She just hoped that he didn't give up.

* * *

**15****th**** June 2011,** **York &amp; London UK**

**Harry **

He couldn't believe it. It was almost finished. The Conqueror. A fitting name for the boat that would get him to Hermione.

Harry, Bill, Charles Burton and several others had worked with him day in and out, almost non-stop on the boat. It had been a while since Harry had been this driven and he felt great. The boat looked like a small fishers boat from the middle age, with a little deck and a flagpole. It didn't appear to be able to support more than three people, but below the deck it was like the enlarging tents. It was huge. There were several rooms, a dinning room, living room, a kitchen and bathroom, and even a ballroom. They had repaired and modernized most of the rooms; especially the kitchen and bathrooms had been in need of an upgrade. In the end, the Conqueror could transport probably one hundred people or more, at once.

The only thing that still needed to be done were the wards, which Bill planned to set up. He assured Harry that it would be ready in a few hours. This gave him barely enough time to prepare everything.

Teddy occasionally accompanied him, and helped where he could. Harry still hadn't talked with Teddy about the upcoming travel and he wasn't sure how to do it. Harry had already packed everything in his black backpack since yesterday, which had Hermione's Undetectable Extension Charm on it. He was ready to go, but leaving Teddy behind was the most difficult thing he had to do. If it hadn't been for Bill and Neville, he wasn't sure how he could leave his son behind.

He walked towards Teddy's room and sighed, then knocked on the door before he opened it slowly.

"Teddy," he begun, unsure as of what else to say. His son sat on the bed, visibly upset as his hair was completely grey. He didn't even look at Harry as he sat next to him.

"Teddy, you know I have to go. Hermione is alone there, even if she is at the military base. I need to make sure that she is safe, you understand that don't you?"

Teddy only nodded, still not able to look at Harry, as he muttered, "It just sucks. All about this, is just messed up. I want to go with you, Dad."

He looked up and his bright green eyes were filled with tears. Harry immediately pulled his son into his arms, and blinked his own tears away.

"It's too dangerous, you know that."

"But when will I see you and Aunt Mione again? What… what if something happens and I will never see you again?"

"That won't happen, Teddy," Harry tried to assure him, as he pulled away to look into his tear streamed face. "I will do my best to get back home. I will call you every night and you can call me too. This will only be for a while Teddy and then we will be back home."

"But you can't promise that."

Harry wanted to assure him that he would come back, promise him of his return, but nowadays, tomorrow wasn't even a sure thing anymore.

"I can promise that I will do my very best to come back to you. No matter what, I will find a way to come back, alright? Even if I have to fly over the ocean with a broom."

Teddy snorted at the thought and brushed his tears away. Suddenly, the clarity of the situation settled in and he couldn't look away from his son. He wondered when he would see him again. He didn't want to think of the other possibility, cause it would render all his plans useless, if he lingered on the dangerous thought.

"You know that I love you, right?" Harry suddenly asked. He needed the assurance that Teddy knew how much he meant to him. He didn't want to go and leave behind any room for doubt.

Teddy finally nodded, as new tears gathered in his eyes.

"I was quite young, when your dad and mum made Hermione and myself your godparents. I was so… moved by their choice. Hermione I get," Harry chuckled and smiled. "She is smart, responsible and made sure Ron and I survived Hogwarts and the war. But me? I was a trouble magnet, wasn't the best in school, never knew how a true family was, until I met the Weasley's. All I could do was fight and protect those I love and care. I actually told this to your parents. You were just born by then. You know what your parents said?"

Harry had never told this story to Teddy. It wasn't something he kept for himself on purpose. It just never came up. When Teddy shook his head, completely taken with the story. Harry could relate how that must feel for him. How he soaks each and every little bit of information up on his parents and memorizes it.

"They said, that I was the perfect godfather, a parent to you, because I could love unconditionally. That I could feel so deeply and purely, which only a few could," he chuckled at the memory. "I was so embarrassed by this. I think I turned the color of Ron's hair."

Even Teddy smiled a little bit at that.

"And they were right. When I saw you the first time, after the battle. I was so heartbroken and sad, that you would share the same fate as me. Growing up without ever knowing your parents, only having the information others provided you with. But I promised to myself that I would take care of you, protect and love you like my own son. And this doesn't change that I am now going, ok?"

Teddy nodded as the tears returned, before he wordlessly threw himself at Harry and hugged him tightly. "I love you too, dad."

Harry tightened his arms around him as well, until he reluctantly pulled away. "Come, the others are waiting."

Both walked down the steps, as Harry grabbed his backpack off the ground. Everyone at Grimmauld Place waited for them at the drawing room. Harry was immediately pulled from one hug into another, as more tearful farewells were given. But suddenly Teddy stormed off without a word.

"Teddy!" Harry called after him.

"Just let him Harry. This isn't easy for him," said Bill next to him.

Things hadn't been the same between Bill and himself, since Ron's death. They barely talked or looked at each other. Even when Bill helped with boat, he only said the necessary things but nothing else. Harry didn't know what to do. He had asked Hermione and she had suggested to just give him time and space. It was something neither of them could truly understand, as he had lost three of his brothers, one at war and two during these outbreaks. Harry agreed with her, in the end and gave Bill space.

"It isn't easy for me either," Harry confessed as his eyes stayed longingly at the stairs, but when it was clear that he wouldn't come back down, he sighted and rummaged in his backpack, until he pulled out a wizarding contract and handed it over to Bill.

Before he could ask, Harry explained, "These are the property documents of Girmmauld Place. Hermione is still the secret keeper of Grimmauld place and I am the owner, but if my name gets scratched through or you feel the wards falling down, please take the property in your name. Wards shouldn't be an issue for you or Fleur."

"Harry, I can't take this," Bill said as he tried to return the document to him.

"I can and I just did. Here are many people, including Teddy, who needs all the protection they can get. If… something should happen to me or Hermione, I need you to be able to become the new owner of the house and reactivate the wards. That's all I'm asking you, Bill."

Bill nodded in the end. Harry cast one last glance at the steps, tempted to go up and talk to Teddy, but he knew that it wouldn't make things easier in the end.

"Harry, before you go," Bill began in a solemn voice, "I don't blame you for what happened to Ron. I was never upset with you, but more about the … injustice of this all. He didn't deserve to die like that."

"No, he didn't," Harry agreed, as he silently wished, not for the first time, that Ron was there.

With a final goodbye, he walked outside Grimmauld Place, after he made sure that none of those undead things were nearby. Things had become quieter around the neighborhood, the last few days and he hoped that it would stay that way.

He waved his wand at the entrance door and with a second flick, closed the door properly. He hoped that Bill or Charles would attend to the door soon. It had jammed for months now. Harry walked swiftly forward, made sure that no one was around and stood still, as he apparated away and arrived at a village in York, Neville's hometown.

He was greeted and received many farewells from anyone who lived at the manor or in the village. It took almost an hour to finally get ready. Several wizards and witches, including Neville, Luna and Kingsley, helped levitate the boat onto the River Ouse. From there Harry would go towards the Humber River, onto the Sea. He was glad that they were able to build a Point-Me charmed navigator. He didn't know anything about boats and only got the crash course from a few people, who had experience.

As soon as he was on the river, he activated, with a tap of his wand and the incantation, the wards and invisibility runes on the boat. Thankfully, he didn't have to do much else, only occasionally needed to be checked on the river. The boat was fairly fast, probably even faster than muggle ones. Charles Burton believed that he could reach America in three to four days. Harry hoped he was right about that.

It took almost three hours to reach the sea. He had to slow down, as he noticed more boats in front of him. For some reason, Harry had believed that the journey through the river would be much quieter and calmer, then on the road, but he realized very soon that he was very wrong about it. The things he saw, the endless deaths, attacks, roaming undead, cornering people and witnessing how people were torn apart, without being able to help. The distance was too great to cast any spells effectively. Only after he reached the Sea began things to calm down. He saw a few boats and big ships on the ocean, as he sailed past them and that's when he heard a noise, from the direction of the deck.

His heart beat fast as he drew out his wand aiming it at the place, and slowly walked closer. That's when he realized what the noise was. A whimper, soft cries, which sounded all to familiar. With a quick wave of his wand, he pulled the invisibility cloak away and looked at the tear streamed face of his son.

Harry wanted to scream, shout, berate him on how he could sneak up on the boat and get himself in such a dangerous position, but the heartbroken and devastated face of his son, made it impossible for him to say anything.

"I couldn't just let you go, dad. I don't want to lose you, too," Teddy cried as Harry closed the distance and took him in his arms.

"It's okay, Teddy. We will work something out," he said and placed a kiss on his forehead, while he was still tightly wrapped in his arms.

Harry sighed deeply. He couldn't be mad at him, cause if he was in his shoes, he knew that he would have done the exact same thing. No matter how dangerous the situation was. Even if he returned him home, Harry knew that Teddy would try to find another way to reach him, maybe be so reckless as to take a thestral or even a dragon to cross the ocean.

"But you're going to tell this to Hermione," Harry stated after Teddy calmed down, only to freeze in place at the thought of his aunt. Harry chuckled lightly at his son. He knew how terrified the sight of a furious Hermione was. He had witnessed several times as Hermione berated Harry for his reckless behavior as an Auror. He could only imagine what she would have to say to Teddy.

"Come, let's go downstairs. I'm sure all your sneaking around made you quite hungry and I think we should call Bill and the others to let them know that you are here with me, and didn't simply disappear, before they send out a search party."

Teddy looked guilty at his dad, as they walked under the deck.

Harry really hoped that Hermione wouldn't be too furious about Teddy and their new situation.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked it. :)


	10. Chapter 9 - Deadly Pathogen

**A/N 2:** This is not a new chapter, but a revision of it. Thanks to the amazing White Squirrel, who has brilliant knowledge of science, this story just got a brilliant flair and became even better (in my opinion) by rewriting the scientific part of this story, in order to make it more plausible and accurate. I hope you will like it too. (30.09.2015)

**A/N 1:** I am truly amazed by the response this gets. Thank you to everyone who follows, favorite and those who take the time to leave a review to this story. Thank you very much! A big thanks goes as usual to uoduck, for beta reading this story. Thank you all! (24.09.2015)

* * *

**Chapter 9 - Deadly Pathogen **

* * *

**16****th**** June 2011,** **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

The lab was finally set up. Most of the equipment and chemicals had been delivered by soldiers who flew to the closest or largest pharmacy, chemical based factory, facility or building. Basically, they went anywhere they could find any chemicals that were on the list. Hermione had offered to go along so that she could help identify and find these things, but the General and several other people wouldn't have it. They said that she was an 'essential person' and therefore not allowed to leave the base.

To say that she was pissed was an understatement.

This resulted in the teams bringing in unnecessary equipment or chemicals that Hermione and Walter hadn't asked for, alongside the correct supplies. And this meant that multiple trips had to be made, just to make sure that both scientists had everything they needed.

Walter only laughed and said that he would find a way to use some of the supplies they had brought.

After the communication breakdown with the Atlanta CDC, Walter and Hermione had been going over the files and the MRI footage several times. The footage provided a break through in understanding the pathogen and how it operated within the body.

They concluded that the pathogen found a way to transmit itself through the nervous system. Then it sent electric impulses through the brain. How it managed this was unclear. Presumably, it latched onto the molecular machinery in the dead cells and restarted it somehow. They decided that they would need to research this theory further.

What both could conclude with absolute certainty, was that the pathogen invaded the brain like meningitis and yet, its behavior was completely different. The brain goes into shutdown, followed by all major organ failure, which led to the infected person's death.

Edwin Jenner had the same theory and immediately tested the unknown pathogen on meningitis characteristics and treatment possibility. Every possible test had come out negative. This meant that the unknown pathogen couldn't be a strain of meningitis.

What they needed was to begin their active testing, in order to determine the substance and makeup of the pathogen.

Unfortunately, they still hadn't gotten any terminated undead test subject. The General had promised to provide it to them, as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Hermione took random blood samples of soldiers and civilians, of both muggle and magical origin, including hers. The main reason was it to check for any obvious differences or anomaly between muggle and magical blood and DNA, since Walter and herself were going to work mainly with those blood samples in the future. Another factor was that Hermione needed to make sure that any form of cure, vaccine or antidote would be effective enough to work on a magical person as well.

She had explained her approach to Walter by telling him that she needed to know the different blood types, health, ethnic background, and anomalies in order to work effectively and efficiently on a solution. He approved wholeheartedly of her idea and let her work it through, after she insisted that she could handle it on her own.

To make sure that no one would sneak up on her or watch her work with the samples, Hermione cast a little repelling spell on her workbench. Even as she was organizing the samples, Hermione felt guilty about lying and using magic to keep Walter away, but she knew that there was no way around it.

For hours, Hermione had worked furiously on the samples, separating the blood fractions, extracting the DNA from the leucocytes and running it through the gene sequencer. After hours of hard work, she finally found out that there was no difference in the DNA sequence between the magical and the muggle people. She had worked on that surprising and yet revealing theory before the world begun to end. With a shake of her head, she focused back on the more pressing work and wrote down her findings in a personal, magically protected, notebook.

All ten test samples showed the same results everywhere they were supposed to, no matter the blood type, gender, ethnic group, or even magical heritage, but when Hermione compared them with archived samples from a hospital, an anomaly _did_ crop up.

Hermione cancelled the spell around her, and called for Walter. She handed over the papers with the results, as she explained, "I checked all the samples for any hidden disease or unknown anomaly in the blood, which I've got from different test persons, soldiers, mothers, teachers. None of them showed anything different, than the usual, well, until I extracted the DNA and found this."

Hermione pointed at the anomaly in the DNA on the printed document and continued, "Everyone had the same unknown change in the DNA sequence compared with the archived samples." She gave him another paper that showed the difference clearly.

"The mutated gene codes for one of the receptor proteins in the neurons. I don't know what it actually _does._ It doesn't seem to be having any measurable effect on our nervous systems, but the fact that's it's suddenly showing up now is definitely suspect."

"This is in our DNA?" Walter asked for clarification as he looked through the papers. "And it's new?"

"Yes," Hermione answered next to him.

"Do you think it has something to do with the undead?" Walter asked.

"I don't know. It doesn't make sense that it's showing up in healthy people. But then again, where did it even come from."

"Well, a mutation like that can have different triggers…but I think we need to isolate the pathogen and see how that works to see if it's related at all. Still, this is really suspicious. I can't believe we could all have a new mutation that we've never seen before at the same time…"

Even with all the proof, Walter needed to see for himself and tested his own DNA. She understood his doubts and watched him as he repeated the same test with his own blood. Two hours later, Walter confirmed that he had gotten the same results.

With a defeated sigh, he sat in front of Hermione, and pushed his hand through his hair, before he rubbed his eyes, tiredly.

"We need to tell this to the General, upload the information and your findings in the medical database. I don't know if it's related, but I've got a bad feeling about it. We'll need to try to get an electro micrograph of that neuroreceptor to see if the mutation actually _did_ anything to it. But first, we need to see if we can isolate that pathogen from the undead," Walter said and rubbed his face tiredly. "God, Hermione, this changes everything. We need to rethink all of our approached."

Hermione nodded silently, not sure what else to say.

After a moment, Walter stood up and walked towards the storage room, where all their chemicals supplies were stocked.

"Come, my dear, we have a lot of work to do."

* * *

**16****th**** June 2011, Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean **

**Harry **

"Well, I think it's time to let Hermione know as well," Harry said, after he closed the mirror call to Mrs Weasley. She had been quite upset at Teddy's behavior, before she had started to worry.

"Do we have to?" Teddy asked, nervously. "I mean, we could just show up, right? She would be really surprised and happy to see us."

Harry's lip twitched in amusement, as he raised his eyebrow at his son's words.

"You really think that we should simply show up and completely surprise her with your arrival? Not preparing her beforehand, letting her accept the situation first and giving her time to calm down? We're talking about Hermione Granger here, Teddy."

The teenager paled dramatically.

"Are you sure, you are a Gryffindor and not a Slytherin?" Harry teased his godson and chuckled at Teddy's grimace.

"Alright, but you have to talk to her first. That's self-preservation, a smart and strategical move. I'm a smart Gryffindor."

"Oh yes, and not a cunning Slytherin."

"Dad!"

"Alright, alright, but you owe me big time," said Harry, as Teddy nodded hastily.

"Merlin, give me strength," Harry said to himself. An upset Hermione, was dangerous, but a furious Hermione, was something else. She would become without mercy and ruthless, an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

"Hermione Granger," he called after he tapped the mirror with his wand, which began to glow lightly. After a moment, Hermione's face appeared with a smile. Even though she looked tired and had that look, which reminded him of the study phase for her O.W.L. exams.

_"Harry! How are you!"_

"I'm good, and guess what?" He moved the mirror around and showed the endless blue ocean. "I am on my way to you."

He could hear her gasp, as he turned the mirror back to himself.

_"Merlin, that is fantastic!" _she exclaimed before she asked worriedly, _"But is everything safe? Did Bill put all the runes on it? In what condition is the boat?" _

Harry gave an elaborated explanation to each of her questions and tried to calm her down as much as possible.

He must have looked worried, as Hermione asked, _"Harry? Is something wrong? I know that face, which always means that something is up. What is it?" _

"Guess, I can't play poker with you, if I ever learn how to do it, though."

_"Harry!"_

Harry took a deep breath before he slowly exhaled out.

"There is something I need to tell you," he began and explained in details, how Teddy had come to be with them. Hermione was silent and looked more than shocked at Harry, until he moved his mirror and showed her Teddy on the boat.

"Hi, Aunt Mione," Teddy said cautiously and waved. Harry wanted to smack his head and closed his eyes for a moment. He knew this would only fuel her rage further.

Harry watched helplessly, as Hermione looked back at him, as her face suddenly flushed in anger, her eyes glared dangerously back at him.

_"Tell me this is some joke of yours, and that George found a way to create a hologram of my godson with you on your boat!"_

Harry winced at her angry voice. He couldn't remember ever hearing this level of anger from his best friend.

"I'm sorry, Hermione, I-" Harry tried to sooth her, but was immediately cut off.

_"Harry James Potter, how could you let him come with you?" _Hermione shouted over the mirror.

Harry winced again and heard Teddy muttered nervously, "She used the full name."

_"Your journey is dangerous enough and now you take our godson with you? Have you gone mad? Did you lose your bloody mind?" _

"Hermione, I didn't have much of a choice. He would have tried to find a way to get to us and that alone could have been dangerous. The best way to protect him was to allow him to stay."

_"Than you should have put a permanent sticking charm on his arse and let him stay in Grimmauld Place! Merlin, even Bill would have put a jinx or for all I care, a bloody curse on him and let him stay home!" _

Harry gulped and let Hermione rant her anger out. He couldn't remember when Hermione had last cursed this heavily. Probably the 'Book Incident', as Ron referred it and where he had actually damaged a few books, as he tried to help to shelf them back, or when an appeal on elfish welfare was denied yet again. But even then, she hadn't been this angry.

Harry glanced at his godson, whose hair color had changed to light blue.

_"And you!"_ Hermione hissed furiously, as soon as Harry's mirror faced a differently angled. She gave Teddy one of her most furious glares.

_"How could you be so stupid and sneak up on the boat? Haven't I explained the danger of sidealong apparation if the participant isn't aware of the other person? You could have been splinched or worse, appeared on a different place, without any protection and we wouldn't even know what happened to you! And I don't even want to imagine the panic and worry you have caused to everyone else! You are so grounded Edward Remus Lupin, and that is not the only punishment for you, mister!"_

Harry would have laughed at his shaken godson, if the situation hadn't been so serious. Hermione completely lashed out on Teddy, who occasionally muttered a, 'Yes, Aunt Mione' or 'Sorry, Aunt Mione'.

He had a feeling that this would take some time to calm Hermione down again.

* * *

**17****th**** June 2011,** **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

Walter walked into the lab, completely pale and shaken. So different from his usual optimistic and suave behavior. Hermione immediately knew that something was wrong.

"Walter," Hermione called out worriedly, as she stood from her table. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Yes, yes. I just found out," Walter answered cryptically, while he walked towards his desk and opened several drawers, until he found what he was looking for. A scotch bottle. He got a shot glass and poured himself a generous fill of the drink.

"Walter?" Hermione became worried at his uncharacteristic behavior.

"I… My son, he just told me that they had lost contact with the military base in Georgia. Fort Benning. Over hundred thousand people, dead."

A chill went down Hermione's spine.

"What… How did this happen?"

"From what my son told me, they got overrun by thousands of those undead. They were completely unprepared. The whole control room is a mess. From what I could discover, there are still a few soldiers who survived. They are evacuating them to other safe locations and bases," Walter said and gulped down the scotch he had poured himself.

Hermione got herself another shot glass and put it next to Walter's empty one. A silent gesture to pour her a drink as well, which he followed immediately.

"I was up in the control room, before I came here. It's… It's a mess. The General won't send an evacuation team out, due to the distance and safety and now, they plan to increase the security of this base. My son said that they will put up guard towers and cameras outside this facility, even in the woods and they thought of building up a wall around here as well… I think this situation only showed, how quickly we could lose everything."

Hermione nodded and finished her drink. She did not know what to say. The news that a whole military compound, with trained and well equipped soldiers and still they were powerless against the undead. A sobering thought that made it only too clear that death was only a doorstep away.

* * *

**18****th**** June 2011,** **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

_'Knock. Knock.' _

"Hermione, my dear, it's me, Walter. Wake up, please."

The knock at the door persisted, as Hermione finally woke up with a groan. She rubbed her eyes, tiredly and looked at the crib next to her. Jon was thankfully still asleep despite with all the noise around.

"Hermione?!" Walter called out gently, as she walked toward the door. "I'm sorry, my boy, but this is important and I have to talk to Dr. Granger about something very important and-"

Hermione opened the door, just as she closed her bathrobe sling together and blinked several times against the bright corridor light.

"Ah, there she is. I won't be knocking anymore. Have a good night," Walter said to the sleepy and irritated soldier opposite her door, who closed the door, after he muttered a few incorrect words.

"I'm so sorry, my dear, to wake you up, this early in the morning."

"What time is it, Walter?" Hermione asked, as she opened the door further and let him in. She placed her index finger on her lips, to which he nodded silently.

"It's around four," Walter whispered and took place at the couch. "I've made a break through with the pathogen - and your discovery with the mutated neuroreceptor, but I need you there to run the last test on it. I will explain everything at the lab. Well, showing you would be much better I think."

Hermione nodded as she yawned behind her hand and said tiredly, "Alright, Walter. Let me dress and get Jon." She frowned for a moment and asked, "Is it safe for me to bring him?"

Even though, Hermione had cast several safety spells around the lab, as well as unbreakable spells on certain objects, gloves and suits, it wasn't foolproof. Especially, if dead bodies weren't sealed away or kept in secure places.

"Yes, yes. Don't worry. The body is at the backside of the lab. Isolated from everything else. I put the test substance in the glove box. Everything is safe."

Hermione nodded and said, "Give me ten minutes."

She quickly walked into her bedroom and changed into jeans and a long-sleeve shirt, before she walked towards Jon's crib and got a baby carry bag. She placed a silencing spell on the baby crib and another baby sleeping charm on Jon, which would let him sleep undisturbed, until he would wake up on his own. A spell she had learned from Molly, when she and took care of Teddy as a baby.

As soon as she finished, they walked towards the warehouse lab. Walter, who took Jon, praised him, saying he was such a good baby. As they reached the lab, Walter went to make Hermione a cup of coffee, while Hermione placed Jon next to her worktable, which would be safe for him and would give her a full view of Jon. Satisfied with his safety, she walked towards Walter's desk, who carried a cup of freshly brewed coffee towards her.

"Thank you, Walter," Hermione said, as she took the cup of gently in her hands and drank from it slowly.

"Your welcome, my dear. So, let me brief you in. After you left, I tried to look for any unidentified pathogens from our test subject. Unfortunately, it was very hard to find. I couldn't identify any foreign DNA, which rules out any kind of bacteria, virus or other microorganism—at least not at the concentration we were expecting to see. I've still got tests running to look for trace pathogens, but that's not why I called you this early in the morning."

He pulled out a stack of papers, filled with graphs and data and handed them to Hermione.

"If it wasn't any sort of microorganism, I thought maybe it was a prion."

"That sounds reasonable," Hermione said.

"Exactly. Prions are a pain in the neck to isolate, but I finally found it."

"You did?"

"Mm hmm." He handed her an electron micrograph showing a lumpy, irregular molecule.

Hermione nodded, while she drank her coffee.

"While I had the electron microscope running, I went ahead and took a look at that mutated neuroreceptor," Walter said and showed her the right document. Several pictures, enhanced by the computer, which showed her what he was trying to explain.

"That's odd," she said. "I've never seen a neuroreceptor that looked like _that_ before. It almost looks like it's damaged somehow. I can't imagine how it's not causing any noticeable symptoms."

"That's what I thought, my dead. Now, hold that thought. Due to this new discovery and the information we have on how the pathogen attacks in the neurological part through the brain stem, I thought that there must also be some hormones and chemical that could aid it in infecting the nervous system and reanimating it. I've tried various hormones and mixed them in the blood sample before I added the pathogen to it. I tried adrenalin, cortisol, ATP and a few others, but with no result, until I took a different approach.

"I took a sample of my blood, added the necessary hormones to stimulate the chemical release in a body that it would experience through a highly stressful situation, before I put it first in the Metabolic Shaker and afterwards in the incubator. I planned to add the pathogen afterwards to see how it invaded the cells, but unfortunately, well, actually fortunately if you think about it, I fell asleep. Instead of half an hour of incubating time, I let it there for two hours, which would make the sample useless, because it would be dead, but I found something incredible. Come look here."

Walter stood up and walked towards another worktable, where a heavy microscope was set up.

Without further instruction, Hermione sat before the computer and looked at the enhanced pictures. And what she saw stopped her breath. Her eyes widened in shock, as she looked back at Walter.

"It…the mutated neuroreceptor became the pathogen?" Hermione spoke in a shaken voice, unable to believe what she had just seen and returned to look at the sample. The pathogen was still active somehow, moving but she could see the decay process begin with the sample, as they became less moving. Her mind was running wild at the possibility of this and how this came to the result.

"Yes," Walter answered, "The cells in the sample died and released a cocktail of toxins, which is the same thing that happens to our bodies when we die."

"The pathogen is a prion, yes, but it's a prion form of the mutated neuroreceptor, not a healthy one. Now that I know what I'm looking for, I can see how the shapes of the proteins are similar. I think what happened is that _something_, maybe another pathogen, swept through the human population and inserted the gene for the mutated protein into our DNA. The mutated protein is less stable than the normal one, and after death, cells start to decay, toxins build up, and the chemical exposure tips into a different protein structure that somehow restarts the synapses firing—reanimates the body. But of course, the delicate higher brain structures are long gone by then."

She started to fill in the gaps. "That's why we all get infect from a bite, a scratch, or other injury," she said shakily. "We already have the mutated protein in our systems. Prions propagate through contact. As soon as the prion form from the undead gets into the bloodstream, it gets into the nervous system and triggers the transformation. The undead are actually a…a second stage of the same infection.

"That's how the outbreak occurred everywhere and couldn't be contained at all, because we are all not only the carrier and vulnerable towards the pathogen, we are all the infected as well with whatever caused the first stage of the mutated protein," Hermione concluded, disbelievingly.

"Yes, precisely. It's quite interesting, though. Seeing my blood turn into the undead blood sample. It's like seeing myself turned into an undead, even though I'm still alive. Fascinating but strangely disturbing at the same time."

Hermione looked back at Walter and blinked a few times at his words, but chose not to comment on it. She knew that he got more eccentric when he became tired.

"The next problem is, can this help us find a cure?" she asked.

"I wish I knew. For one thing, we still need to isolate whatever caused the mutation in the first place. Without knowing that, even if we found a way to reverse it, there would be nothing to stop it from happening again. But that's the easy part. We don't know how the mutated protein will react to any potential cure. It might just make the situation worse."

"You're right. Prion diseases aren't as well understood as other pathogens, and this one's breaking all of the normal rules. I think we should prepare the presentation and information for the General, as well as the database, so that the IT-people can put it online. And then you should get a few hours of sleep, Walter," Hermione said and tried to get him back on track.

"Yes, yes, you are right my dear. Let's get to work and present our findings to the General and deliver him the bad news," Walter said brightly, as he went back to his desk. Hermione only shook her head and followed him to his desk.

* * *

**19****th**** June 2011,** **Marsh Island, Iberia Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Harry **

The first things that Harry and Teddy noticed, were the broken and blood stained boats lying around the docks. The few undamaged boats, were filled with people who found refuge. A safe place to hide from the undead.

Harry slowed the boat down and began to anchor it much further away from the docks, a few miles away, in the Gulf of Mexico. The added wards and charms, would help keep anyone else away from the boat.

"Dad," Teddy called out next to him, fearfully, which Harry heard in his voice.

Harry stopped with what he was doing and looked at his son, but before he could ask what was wrong, he noticed his eyes looking straight at the coast. An undead stumbled around the coast.

"Don't worry. It won't be able to get to us," Harry said, as he placed his hand on his shoulder.

Teddy nodded silently, as he continued to watch the undead move. During the time they travelled, Harry had explained and prepared Teddy for the upcoming journey and how to act and appear around muggles, as soon as they arrive. They went through the cover story they had made up, which would explain how Harry and Teddy had found Hermione at the compound, so that they wouldn't draw unnecessary attention or raise suspicious questions.

"Today, we will stay here, prepare everything and tomorrow morning, we will fly over to Fort Polk, just as we discussed, Teddy. We should be there around the afternoon."

Teddy nodded silently again. Harry gave him a little smile and squeezed his shoulder gently, before he walked back to anchor the boat.

* * *

**19****th**** June 2011, Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

Paper, notes, files, and books were spread out on the worktable and even several items on the chair next to the two scientists, who worked out their next approach.

"It is clear that the genetic change is at the root of the problem," Hermione said. "The most obvious answer is that it was caused by some kind of retrovirus. If that's the case, creating a vaccine shouldn't be too difficult as long as it doesn't mutate quickly, but curing those of us who are already infected— well, we would need to understand the mutation and the pathogen better first, crack its coding and components."

"I agree with you, my dear." Walter sighed and said. "That's not the only problem, though. Assuming we're working with a retrovirus, anti-retrovirals aren't a hundred percent effective, If even a trace of the mutated protein remains in the system, it might only slow down the progression. We could treat a bite victim, but it might only delay the inevitable for days or weeks. Or maybe without the mutated protein, it would do what it seems to be doing to infected animals and just kill them painfully without reanimating the body."

"We should extract the-" Walter never finished his sentence as suddenly the door of the lab opened and Captain Harris, Walter's son swiftly walked in. His face was set in a grim line.

"What's wrong, Seth?" Walter asked as he stood up.

"There was an incident at the CDC in Atlanta. They… two of the three scientists killed themselves, a few hours ago."

Hermione gasped in shock.

"My God," Walter breathed out.

"Who?" Hermione asked shakily.

"Dr. Farris and Wyman. Dr. Jenner just sent his video report and informed us of the situation."

Walter stood up and said, "Come my dear, let's go see the situation."

Hermione only nodded silently and followed the two men out the door. All the way she didn't say anything and was deep in thought and wondered what could have driven these two scientists to the brink of suicide. Had they lost all hope due to the lost communication to them? Or had there been another reason, she didn't want to think about?

As they finally reached the control room, as they called it, Hermione and Walter were guided toward the General and Sergeant of the military base. Hermione barely listened to their talk, until the screen suddenly turned on. Jenner appeared, and it was notable that something was deeply wrong, as he appeared to be ashen white and lost.

_"Jenner here. It has been 171 days since Project Wildfire was declared and 40 days since the disease went global. Today… two scientists… the last two scientists committed suicide… two hours ago. A shot through the head. I couldn't prevent the outcome. They left me their suicide notes." _He held up the two letters at the screen, before he put them away.

_"They explained their reasons that they couldn't live on, knowing that all hope was lost… I can't even blame them. To be honest, the thought had crossed my mind several times, but I gave a promise to my wife. Until then, I will find a way to figure out a cure for… whatever this is. Well, I guess… it's just me now."_ Jenner said as he closed down the video feed a moment later.

Hermione sat heavily in the chair and stared at the blank screen, until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione?" Walter's voice spoke gently and as she looked up at him, she couldn't hide her worry anymore.

"Is this…our fault? Did we cause this? With our discovery that everyone was infected?"

Walter sighed heavily and sat next to her, as he took her hand in his and patted it gently.

"I don't know, my dear. Maybe? Maybe not? It could have been anything. Maybe there were many other factors involved that lead to their decision. Their situation, the isolation from being denied to contact the outside world, being cooped up in the underground for weeks, not knowing how their families and friends fared and believing that all of them didn't survive, or maybe it was the loss of communication with the French facility? It could be anything or all of it. They must have felt completely hopeless and desperate in their situation. Maybe our discovery pushed them this far, or maybe it was coming either way. I don't think that taking their own life was just a matter of one reason. I think it's losing all hope and not believing that there was a chance for a better change."

Hermione nodded and brushed the few strands of tears away.

"We can't blame ourselves, Hermione. It was their decision to be made. We will find a way to stop this madness."

Hermione gave him a weak smile and said, "Thank you, Walter."

He returned her smile gently, before he stood up and held out a hand for Hermione. "Come, my dear. Let's go back to our lab and figure out a way, to find a cure."

Hermione took his hand, pushed herself to her feet and followed him back to their lab, determined more than ever to find a way to stop this nightmare.

* * *

**20****th**** June 2011, Somewhere in Louisiana heading towards Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, USA**

**Harry **

The flight over the cities of Louisiana showed the full extent of the chaos and damage the outbreak had caused. Burned up cars, broken houses and streets littered with rubbish and waste, were the widespread view everywhere. But worst of all, were the bodies on the ground. Lifeless and bloodied bodies or body parts lay on the streets. Not cared for or just barely paid attention by the people, who tried to flee for their safety.

Teddy's arm's trembled in fear, as his hold on Harry tightened, while they flew slowly over the buildings. Invisible to anyone, who would look up the sky. Harry used the tracking charm on Hermione in order to find her. He was trying to avoid open space as much as he could. Preferably, they would take the direction over closed off areas, with lots of woodland. This way, they, especially Teddy, wouldn't witness the carnage and horror upon the streets.

After they traveled for three hours, Harry decided that it was for the best to take a break. They were already halfway there and Harry was really starting to worry about Teddy's silent and even withdrawn behavior. He hadn't been this much in the open nor had he witnessed the full force of the outbreak in person. Even with all the warnings and preparation from Harry, during their journey on the boat, he knew that Teddy hadn't expected this level of disaster. Harry had been more prepared, due to the active work he had done while in England.

"We will take a short break, Teddy," Harry said over his shoulder, as he found a safe open spot, on the roof of a building. He noted from the brief glance back to his son, that his hair color had changed to a sickly green shade, which could be linked with fear. Harry pushed his worry away for now and circled the area slowly several times, until he was sure that it was safe for them before he landed on the building.

"Wait here, Teddy."

"Why-Where are you going, Dad?" Teddy asked in a panicked filled voice, Harry wasn't sure, Teddy was aware of it.

Harry gently laid his hand on his son's shoulder and looked him in the eyes, and explained as calmly as possible, "I will just put some wards around the roof and make sure that no one can come up here. It will only take a few minutes and then we will call your Aunt Hermione, alright?"

Teddy gulped and nodded several times agreement.

"Have your wand ready, it will make you feel better."

Teddy immediately pulled out his wand from his own wand holster and gripped his wand tightly. The wand holster had been a gift Harry had given him when he brought his first wand at Ollivander's, which he rarely took off ever since and he was more than glad about this habit.

Harry gave him a small smile, before he walked towards the entrance door at the roof that he had spotted earlier on. He cast a sealing spell at the door and walked around the roof, to ensure that he didn't miss any other entrances. After everything was secured, he returned back to Teddy, who by then, looked down the streets, frozen on the spot. Harry followed his gaze, as he stood next to his son and noted a few undead walking aimlessly around the area. But luckily, no living person could be seen nearby.

"Come, Teddy. We should call your aunt. She will be worried," spoke Harry gently and pulled him away from the view. He led him back to where their bags and broom lay. Both didn't say much, as Harry pulled out his mirror from his backpack and called Hermione, who immediately picked up. He explained where they were and that both of them would arrive in about three to four hours. Hermione was a nervous wreck, he noted and reminded him repeatedly to wear damaged and dirty muggle clothes, pull the safety charm on the backpack, which would hide the Undetectable Extension Charm and only show a few items they chose to expose and to make sure they remembered their cover story, and from which point they would have to walk towards the base. Harry knew that Hermione was just really worried and didn't want them to face any more trouble and therefore, he patiently confirmed and promised to do all the things she had asked for.

Once Harry calmed her down and promised to see her very soon, they gave their teary farewell, before they closed the connection.

Harry and Teddy didn't say much, afterwards and sat down in silence, while they ate their sandwiches.

"I'm sorry that you have to see this, Teddy and I wished I could tell you that things will be better, but I can't promise you that. It will probably get even worse and many more horrible things will happen in the future."

Teddy nodded silently, as he picked at his leftovers of his sandwich. It was a while before he said, "I knew it was going to be bad out here, but I didn't think that it could be this bad. A part of me kept thinking that this couldn't be real, you know? That maybe it was just a huge bogart freaking out and causing havoc everywhere."

Harry snorted at the thought and wished that it was this case.

"I know, stupid, isn't it."

"Wish that was the cause of all of that."

Teddy smiled a little, the first time since yesterday, before it turned into a small frown and said, "I may be scared and terrified at how things look like right now, but I don't regret coming with you, dad. I would rather be with you, face the problems and hardship next to you than sit at home and wonder if you are okay or if I would lose you any moment."

Harry waited for his son to continue, knowing that he needed to get this all out.

"I know that many people have lost someone they cared for or loved ever since this begun. But the thought of never seeing you again or… loosing you… scares me so much. Especially, since Aunt Mione is stuck here and after Uncle Ron's…," Teddy broke off, unable to speak the word out loud. Harry put his arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer to him.

"We will get through this, Teddy, but I want you to talk to me, if things become too much for you. No matter what, okay?"

Teddy nodded in understanding.

"Good, well, we should get ready and prepared. I bet Hermione is driving herself up to the wall with worry right now," Harry joked and soon both bantered a little on Hermione's behalf, while Harry transfigured their clothes to look more damaged and worn out, and cast the charm on both bags, before he fastened his gun on his belt.

Harry noticed Teddy's eyes widened slightly, as he followed every move Harry made, until he asked, "Is that your gun, from your muggle cover?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed. "The perks of being an Auror. You get a special identity and clearance to take over magical incidence in the muggle world."

Teddy nodded, as he recalled the explanation, but Harry had never brought the gun with him at home. "And you know how to shoot with it?"

"Of course, every Auror needs to know how to use it. Imagine a situation arises, while you investigate a case in the muggle world, where you are forced to defend yourself, surrounded by muggles. It would be stupid to do that with a wand and cause more attention, especially, if you don't know who else is watching you; for example, like neighbors, people in shops or even cameras. Aurors need to defend themselves in various forms and means, while hiding their true form and ability. Ron…" he paused for a moment. It was still difficult for him to talk about his best friend.

"Ron and I were training together for the Auror Corps, right after the war and when Kingsley made the new reformation on the structure of the Aurors, with muggle identities and weapons. Ron was so scared about using them, while Arthur would have joined us at the shooting range, if it hadn't been for Molly."

Both chuckled at the image of Molly scolding Arthur.

"Anyway, Ron was so scared, he even dropped the gun several times and jumped whenever a shot occurred. It freaked him out to no end. Until Hermione had the idea of facing his fear by letting him watch several action movies, like James Bond and Rambo." Harry laughed at the memory.

"A whole weekend, filled with guns blaring and testosterone overload, as Hermione called it and afterwards, Ron was like a different person. He changed, lost his fear of guns and began to practice more frequently, and soon he mastered it. He was a pretty good shooter," Harry said before his smile dropped, as he felt the loss of his best friend again.

"I miss him," Teddy said after a moment of silence.

"Me too," Harry confessed. The guilt and pain were still there, deep down within him and he knew that this feeling wouldn't pass quickly, like all the other losses he had faced and experienced in his life.

He pushed those thoughts away and picked up his broom.

"Come, we should get going. We want to be there before it gets dark," said Harry before they both mounted the broom and took off.

They flew over the cities, as Harry was unable to take any other route. The tracking charm led him directly through populated areas and what they saw and witnessed was worse than what they had already seen.

Police forces tried to close down areas, people began to revolt against them, while the undead sneaked up on them. They had been so focused on their anger and fear that they had failed to pay attention to their surroundings. Even Harry and Teddy hadn't seen the upcoming disaster, not until people began to scream in horror and ran away, trying to escape from the undead. By then, Teddy began to cry into Harry's back, as his arm's tightened around him. Harry pushed his broom faster, as he silently thanked that Hermione was safe.

Harry slowed down, as soon as they reached the smaller towns, with less populated areas. It was much calmer, even with the few undead walking around, until they saw a family who tried to escape to their car, as a group of undead almost surrounded them completely.

"Dad! We have to help them!" said Teddy urgently. Harry hadn't realized that he had by then completely stopped the speed on his broom and was now hovering over the place.

Harry's mind raised with different possible solutions. He couldn't land on the ground and risk Teddy's life. The only way he could help was from his broom on. By the close approximate location to the family, he could risk the exposure of magic, which left him with only one option. He pulled out his gun and began to shoot at the closest undead, who had almost reached the family. The family screamed in surprise at the sound, until Harry shouted at them to run. When he was sure that no other undead would immediately reach the family and as soon as they got into the car, Harry switched his gun with his wand and cast quick _Diffindo_ and _Sectumsempra_ spells at every undead head or other body parts. It also helped that these spells gave off a white light and blended easily in the daylight, as some sort of light reflection. Harry sighed in relief, as the family drove off.

Harry sighed in relief and pulled his muggle weapon safely away, before both flew again towards the given direction by his wand. It had felt good to help and be useful again. Even Teddy began to calm down and talk a little more to him.

It took them almost two more hours, until they reached their designated point, Hermione had told them about. It was on the outskirt of the forest and they would have to cross the boundaries on foot, so that they wouldn't raise unnecessary attention to them. Harry made sure that the area was safe before he landed on the ground. Both double checked everything on them and hid all the magical objects in the secret pocket of Harry's backpack, which he sealed it with a flick of his wand.

"Have you put your wand in your wand holster?" Harry asked after he put his broom into his bag.

"Yes, dad," answered Teddy and showed his left arm, with the wand holster, to Harry, who in return gently grabbed it and cast a strong invisibility and muggle repelling charm over it.

"This should do. Okay, you remember what we talked about? What we are going to say, once we are there?"

"Yes, dad," replied Teddy, as he pulled his sleeve back down and strapped his own backpack on himself.

"Good. Now, listen carefully, Teddy. We will have to go very quickly. We cannot take any breaks and we shouldn't talk, unless it's absolutely necessary. These things are attracted to sounds and the last thing we want is getting their attention."

Teddy nodded tightly, as he tried to not show his fear.

"Try to control your appearance, alright? When we are inside and you get nervous or scared, calm yourself down and focus on your appearance. Your aunt and I won't let anything happen to you, but you need to concentrate on your ability."

At Teddy's silent nod, Harry pulled his backpack on himself.

"Oh and before I forget, no matter what happens here, even if we are faced with the undead, you won't pull your wand out, alright? It won't take long for the soldiers to find us once we are in, because this area is under surveillance, and we don't want to raise unnecessary questions, by using magic. I have my gun for our protection."

"But dad, I can't just have nothing on me. How am I supposed to… help, if something happens?"

Harry knew it was unfair and dangerous to ask Teddy to put his wand away, but in order to get to Hermione they had to play it safe. He looked around and saw a stick, which he quickly _accio_ed to himself and transfigured into a baseball bat that the Americans used at a game. He roughened up with dirt from the ground, to make it appear more realistic, just before he gave it to Teddy, who thanked him in relief.

Both didn't waste more time and were quickly on their way. Harry was a step ahead of his son, with the gun in his hand, ready to defend themselves. The gun had a silencer attached to it, just in case he was forced to use the weapon. Harry was glad that he had enough ammunition on himself and wouldn't run out in quite a while.

They had walked silently for over half an hour, when they suddenly heard a noise, from his right. Harry stood still and signed for Teddy to be silent, who in return nervously nodded at him.

He listened intently on the noise and realized with a curse on his lips what it meant.

"We have to run, Teddy!" Harry hissed urgently and grabbed with his left hand Teddy's and pulled him with him.

The noises they made were enough to get the undeads attention and Harry raised his weapon at the closest undead and shot him directly in the head. Two more appeared and Harry put them down just as quickly. He didn't wait to see, if there were more of them on their way and pushed forward and a few minutes later, they finally heard the engine of a car.

His heart leaped in relief as the military vehicle stopped in front of them. Four fully armed soldiers sat inside as two of them jumped out of the car immediately and began to shoot at the undead. Harry pulled Teddy closer to his side and dropped the gun to his side.

"Drop your weapon!"

"Identify yourself!"

"My name is Agent Harry James Potter, Secret Security Service from the United Kingdom and I'm looking for Dr. Hermione Granger," Harry said as he lowered the weapon to the ground, as he saw the eyes of the soldiers widen.

* * *

**20****th**** June 2011**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

The whole day, Hermione had been on edge and a nervous wreck, since she knew that Harry and Teddy were somewhere out there. She prayed to whoever listened up there, that they would arrive safely at the base. She tried to appear normal, but even Walter noticed that something was up. Hermione excused her behavior, just concerned about the success of the trials they planned to do.

It was a nerve wrecking day. She tried to keep her mind busy with work, but when she failed to focus properly on the experiments, she quickly told Walter that she would do some research and read the updated documents from the database.

Hermione sighed and closed the book, before she rubbed her forehead, as she recalled the day they told the General and the other important people about the gruesome revelation that everyone was infected. Disbelieve and outrage had been the first reactions, until they went in detail on how the pathogen and the mutated neuroreceptor acted. Hermione had explained that there were two ways to become an undead, by injury from the undead, in which their bodily fluids get into the bloodstream or by natural or forced death, in which the buildup of toxins afterwards activates the transformation. After two hours of detailed explanation to a growing room, they began to believe them. Another hour later, made it possible to upload the information and publish into the medical database, which had been sent to other still functional medical research facilities around the world.

Yesterday, Walter and Hermione had found out that the French facility had shared the information with the Atlanta CDC, but failed to inform him that it had come from the military base from Louisiana and that the discovery had been made by Walter and herself. Hermione had shaken her head in disbelief, but Walter on the other hand, had voiced out his thoughts about them. For some reason the French scientists didn't seem to understand the importance of letting Jenner know that the military, not only Fort Polk, tried to get in contact with the Atlanta CDC. Walter guessed it was either their bad English, which was a bad excuse since from what they had been told, someone even gave the message in French to them, or they simply didn't trust the Americans or went 'ape shit crazy with their arrogance', as Walter point blankly called them.

Later the same day, Hermione had mirror called Minister Shacklebolt, who had immediately called a conference in place, as soon as Hermione informed him about the discovery Walter and herself made. To say that they were shocked, would have been an understatement. Several wizards didn't want to believe her and claimed that this was still a muggle disease and that they wouldn't turn if they died. Hermione had stated that she had done the tests with all three blood fractions in a magical world, a muggleborn, half-blood and a pureblood and all of them had shown signs of infection. It didn't leave any room for doubt and soon came to accept the situation. Hermione had tried to calm them down and explained, Walter's and hers next approach to find a solution.

Afterwards, Kingsley promised Hermione that he would make sure that the magical world would be informed about the discovery and the next approach to find a cure through the Wireless Radio. She was glad that they would count Walter into the discovery and hadn't only mention her.

"Dr. Granger," someone called and snapped her out of her thoughts. It was Daniel Hale. "You are needed at the base center."

Her heart jumped in her chest, as she quickly stood up.

"Why, what's going on?" Walter asked suddenly, who carried a tray with several petri dishes, and bottled up chemicals, while he walked towards the Laminar Flow Cabinet.

"Two people were found at the perimeter, a man and a boy, claiming to look for you, Dr. Granger."

Hermione gasped in delight not hiding her happiness, as she said, "Is it Harry and Teddy? Please bring me to them."

The soldier nodded and gave her a small smile, which confirmed the identity and followed Hale outside the lab.

Hermione quickly turned towards Walter and said, "I'm sorry, Walter. I will come back as soon as pos-"

"Don't worry about it, dear. From the way you reacted, I can clearly see that they are someone important to you. Go, go. I will see you tomorrow, dear."

Hermione's smile only widened and she thanked him repeatedly, before she quickly followed Hale to the car.

"They are being questioned and Mr Potter's ID's is running through the database. It will take a while to pull any information from the UK intelligence service, since their remaining government went underground or to more isolated areas. That's why they allowed you to come and identify them yourself. Everything looks fine. They're keeping the cover up so far. Duncan is with them."

"Who questions Harry and Teddy?"

"Smith and Ford are on Harry, and Espinosa is with the boy."

Hermione nodded and hoped that everything turned out well. As soon as the car stopped, Hermione rushed into the building, as Daniel Hale caught up with her. He guided her to a section of the building that she had never been before and was greeted by other soldiers and General Pierce, who watched Harry being questioned by both sergeants. She confirmed with the General of Harry's identity and couldn't help her smile from her face, as she looked at Harry from the other side. She wanted to rush in and hug him as hard as she could, but knew that she wasn't allowed to enter the room. Not until they finished their interrogation.

"Where is Teddy?" Hermione asked, when she didn't spot her godson around. Hale pointed at the end of the hall, towards a closed off sitting room. Hermione nodded and was glad that he had it a little more comfortable.

_"Hermione called me from the Alexandria Airport, as she explained to me what had happened to her previously. She informed me that the soldiers stationed there were from the Fort Polk Military Base. I deducted that, if anything should go wrong that she would get evacuated to their own base, after I found out that the airport had been lost, as well as, the other medical research facility." _

_"We have a smart one here,"_ exclaimed Ford as he stood there with folded arms._ "Explain to me again, why you are here and not in UK, Potter?" _

He sighed and said, _"My son, godson to be exact, and I travelled to Louisiana for vacation. We were supposed to meet Hermione in New Orleans on the 17__th__ May, but by then the outbreaks occurred and there was no way for her to meet with us. We stayed in contact as much as possible, until the lines went dead." _

_"Strange,"_ Smith began and stared hard at Harry, who looked nonchalant._"Since when are school vacations in the beginning of May? Care to explain?" _

"Sir," Hermione began and looked at the General. "I know Harry Potter and he is telling the truth. We did try to meet each other and this interrogation is unnecessary."

Hermione was nervous and didn't think of this excuse of schooling, but Harry, she noted, didn't bat an eye and calmly made up an excuse about a different schedule at a private boarding school in Scotland.

"This is still my base, Dr. Granger and I will tell what's necessary and what's not. I need to know, who he is. If he is a threat or not."

Hermione didn't hide her frown and folded her arms at her chest in annoyance, but chose not to say anything. She wasn't stupid. The more she fought for Harry to be released, the more they would put him through the ringer. Instead, Hermione chose to watch the questions and answers, until a soldier came and told them that there hadn't been a log-in at any airport in Louisiana on Harry or Teddy.

Hermione blinked in shock and the news, as her heart began to beat furiously in her chest at another mistake. She felt the General's eyes on her, but chooses to ignore it and try to keep a calm face. She prayed that Harry could talk himself out of the situation. The same soldier walked into the room and whispered the new information into Ford's ear before he left.

_"It seams you and your godson's name haven't shown up in the airport logs at all. Care to explain how you both entered this country?"_

Harry looked completely calm and collected as he leaned back and shook his head at them both.

_"I'm a Mi5 Agent, do you really think my identification will be saved in the computer of the United States? Or that of any other country? Seriously? As soon as my identification is scanned in a governmental system, it will be deleted shortly after. In this case, as soon as I land, all my information is deleted. My godson, shares the same privileges." _

Hermione was seriously impressed and relieved that he came up with such an excuse, but wondered if this truly happened with his muggle passport and ID's.

_"How so?"_ Smith asked, _"Why does your godson needs the same security details?"_

_"I have enemies, Sergeant Smith and they wouldn't shy away from using my son, godson to be exact, in order to get to me." _

_"Who are these enemies?" _Ford asked.

_"I'm not privileged to answer that and you don't have the necessary security level to get an answer." _

"I think that's should be enough," General Pierce said and informed the soldier next to him to end the interrogation. "And you know this man, Dr. Granger?"

"Yes, since I a was child. We went to the same school. The boy he brought with, is also my godson, sir."

He nodded. "That's what he said, too."

As soon as Harry walked out, Hermione jumped into his arm and hugged him tightly, which he returned equally strong.

"I… I thought I would never see you again," confessed Hermione, not caring that anyone heard her or saw her tears.

"Me too, Mione," Harry said with a roughened voice.

After a moment, they pulled away and Harry was greeted by the General of the base.

"Welcome to Fort Polk, Agent Potter. Unfortunately, we haven't yet got a confirmation on your identifications, but our IT specialist is working on it. So far, your credentials look authentic."

Harry nodded and waited for him to continue.

"Meanwhile, we can't allow you to carry your weapon around here. We will keep it with us, until the clearance comes out positive and after we decide and figure out, how you could be of use to us. As you can see, there is no space for non-essential persons."

Harry's eyes hardened a little at his words, as he replied formally, "I understand, sir."

"Wait?" Hermione said completely taken aback. "Do you mean to tell me that if a family came knocking on the door that you would turn your back on them, because they aren't of use to you?" She asked and became really angry.

"Dr. Granger, the world has fallen into chaos and disaster. We are at war and we need to find a solution, means to protect us as much as we can. We don't have space for non-essential persons."

"Well then make the space, General. You are the only ones, who could give people a safe place and make sure they survive. Everyone could be placed here and do their share of work. Be it cleaning, teaching for the children, kitchen work, gardening, or even helping at the hospital you have here. Work for which the soldiers aren't needed to do anymore and can share their burden with others. You could even recruit or train new soldiers. In the end, those non-essential people, as you call them are those who will keep us functional and alive." Hermione shook her head in disgust and outrage. "I thought that this was the 'Home of the Heroes', but all I see is a cowardly way out."

"Hermione!" Harry said and grabbed her arm to calm her down.

The General eyes rested hard on Hermione, who didn't back off, while everyone else's were wide in shock. The looks of the others and utter silence in the corridor, made her anger evaporate instantly. She felt mortified for the way she reacted, but she wasn't sorry for the things she had said, just the way she did it and accused the man in charge.

"You are right, Dr. Granger. If we don't follow our oath and code for what we stand for, we would be a disgrace to our homeland. Sergeant Smith, get the meeting ready. Private Hale, please escort Dr. Granger and Agent Potter to the boy and get them settled in. You are familiar with the open housing, don't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, settle them in and we will get back to you, Agent Potter and see where we will be going for here."

"Thank you, General Pierce," said Harry and held his hand, which the General shook and gave them both a short nod before he left with the other Sergeants.

"Merlin, how I've missed you," Harry said as soon as the other left, and only the three magical people were left. "Only you could, make them take a turn with their opinion."

Hermione only shook her head and grinned at Harry.

"Do you really have this security level, if you ever traveled with a plane? With your ID, I mean?"

Harry smirked a little and said, "Let's just say, my line of work made me able to improvise in a situation like that."

Hermione only shook her head at his words, while the other wizards chuckled.

"Come. I want to see Teddy. He is still going to get grounded for the stunt he pulled." Hermione said seriously, while Harry laughed at his friend, as he followed his best friend to get their godson. Despite the anger towards her godson, Hermione felt truly happy. She looked back at Harry, as she grabbed his hand in relief and to make sure that he was truly there. For the first time, since for what felt like forever, she felt happy again.

* * *

A/N: I hope you like it :) The next chapter will be up on Thursday.


	11. Chapter 10 - Final Hour

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who follows, favorites and reviews this story. I'm really happy that you like this story. A special thanks goes to the great uoduck, who took the time to review this chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Final Hour**

* * *

**12****th**** July 2011**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

Since Harry's and Teddy's arrival at the military base, Hermione felt more at ease and less worried. She didn't realize just how much she had been constantly worried about her best friend and godson ever since the outbreak. And now, thanks to Daniel Hale, the soldier with the wizarding heritage, Harry and Teddy lived in the small flat right next to her. This made things much easier and they helped Hermione wherever they could. They took care of Jon and made sure that he was well taken cared off, or took him in for the night, if she spent the night at the lab or needed to rest whenever she was overworked. Hermione was very grateful for their support and she was glad that all three got along just fine.

Harry had been, after a week of his arrival, recruited into the base and helped where he could. With a little conviction of the two wizards, they had arranged for Harry to work with the members of the base most of the time. It made things easier.

Meanwhile, Teddy stayed with Jon at the McGonagall's and he enjoyed his time there. Hermione of course, made sure that he studied and worked on his homework, which wasn't something he looked much forward to. Harry also insisted that Teddy work on the defensive and offensive spells that he would need to be able to cast, if something happened to Hermione and himself. At first Hermione wanted to protest at the thought, since they were there to protect Teddy against any danger, but Harry wouldn't relent and kept insisting on a more advanced training. In the end, Hermione agreed with his suggestion and Harry took the time and taught Teddy every day, mostly in the evening, all about useful spells. Hermione supported Harry's decision after that and began to teach him runes and later in their various combinations, to create more powerful protection and defense magic. The same was planned for the Transfiguration and Charm spells, which would help his defense as well and Teddy loved it. Except for the additional homework they gave him, which he would do at the McGonagall's, while Harry and Hermione worked.

There were also other kids at the base that Teddy befriended. Even though, Hermione and Harry had made sure that he grew up in both worlds to gain both experiences, he felt uncertain when he was around them at first. It helped a little that he could pretend that he was confused whenever someone brought up something he didn't understand. It was a slow process, but Teddy was determined to make it work.

Hermione smiled as she watched Harry and Teddy practice, while Jon sat in her arms and squealed in delight whenever a spell was cast. Right now, Harry was showing Teddy a few third year defensive spells. He had promised Teddy that he would teach him the Patronus charm as soon as he mastered these spells, due to the hardship of the spell itself. Harry and Hermione knew that Teddy was strong and a gifted wizard. It would take a lot of practice and work to cast this and other difficult spells, but he was determined to achieve that. This had reminded Hermione of Harry. He had had the same almost stubborn like determination when it came to offensive and defensive spells.

A loud knock at the door ceased their spell practice and both quickly put their wands away. Hermione frowned at the others in confusion.

"Hermione, dear, are you there?" came Walter's voice at the door.

"Coming!" Hermione called out and made sure that everything was alright before she opened the door.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry to disturb you this evening, but there is a… situation at the Atlanta CDC. They want us at the control room now."

Hermione frowned with worry at the news. Something bad must have happened again for them to be called in.

Harry had by then joined Hermione at the door. He must have heard what Walter said as he offered, "I can take care of Jon."

Hermione smiled at her best friend and said, "Thank you, Harry. I hope that's alright with you?" She referred to the practice he and Teddy had planned.

"Don't worry about it. Teddy likes this little bugger and we are free today anyway," he assured her as he took Jon gently from her arms. Harry made made silly faces at Jon, which the baby apparently liked as he laughed with delight at the wizard.

"Alright, just give me a minute, Walter," Hermione said and went to grab her shoes and keys.

When she was ready to leave, she turned back to Harry again and said, "Thank you again, Harry."

"Don't mention it. Take your time and if you aren't back in two hours, I will take Jon to my place."

"Thanks, Harry." Hermione smiled at him, before she kissed him on the cheek and did the same with Jon and Teddy, before she left the building with Walter.

"I was just leaving the lab, when my son informed me that something strange is going on with Jenner at the CDC. Seth is waiting outside for us."

The drive to the building didn't take long and as soon as they arrived, they were greeted by Sergeant Ford.

"Docs, shit just hit the fan in Atlanta. Jenner is loosing it."

"What happened?" asked Walter worriedly.

"I think it's better to show you," Ford said as he turned to talk to the technician at the computer and told him to play the feed.

A moment later, a familiar beep signaled the income of the transmission. The screen wrote: _'WILDFIRE MSB3417 ACTIVE BEGIN TRANSMISSION_', as Jenner's face appeared. He looked pale and withdrawn, which had been his constant state of appearance since his wife's death and grew more so after the death of his last crew.

_"Jenner here. It's day 194 since wildfire was declared, and 63 days since the disease abruptly went global. There's no clinical progress to report. _

_"Item - I finally got the scrubbers in the east sector shut down to save power. I wish I could've done it a month ago, but it took me that long to figure it out. Too bad I never studied engineering. Could have saved a lot of amps._

_"Item - I'm still not sleeping well. Can't seem to keep regular hours. Living underground doesn't help, not knowing if it's day or night. I'm just feeling very off-kilter these days. Anyway, I will begin a new experimental phase with the TS19 samples today. Hopefully, I will have a breakthrough." _

And then the screen went blank and showed the writing _'WILDFIRE MSB3417 ACTIVE END OF TRANSMISSION'_.

Hermione and Walter looked at Ford as he explained, "This came this morning, but an accident in the lab made the Doc kinda crazy. Show them the lab feed and the transmission."

The screen showed Jenner in a contamination suit inside a high security lab. A classic piece of music played in the background as he began his experimental trial. The IT-Tech fast forwarded to the moment where Jenner appeared to have fallen asleep and woke up to the beeping sound of a machine. He walked over the tabletop centrifugation and took out a small tube. They watched as Jenner took a sample of the tube and smeared it on a glass slide. He added another, unknown yellow tinted liquid on it and mixed it together, before he pulled it under the microscope. Jenner looked through the eyepiece and a moment later he sighed deeply.

But then he reached with his hand for a flask, without even looking up from the microscope eyepiece, and tripped with his arm the yellow tinted liquid, which split its contents all over the TS19 sample in the Petri dish.

Instantly, an alarm went off, as white fume begun to erupt from the mixture of the test sample. Jenner tried to clear the sample with his gloved finger, which they could see corroded through the glove, even when he removed it. A few seconds later, a female computer voice spoke loudly over the alarm sound, _"Alert status. Air qualifiers indicate corrosive fumes. All personnel must clear the room." _

Jenner rushed through the room. He disconnected the air pipe of his suit and pulled on a hand gear, which started the decontamination shower, while the computer continued to say, _"Corrosive element is deemed poisonous if inhaled." _

After he finished the shower, Jenner opened the door and walked out of the lab. He immediately removed his suit and clothes, until he was completely naked, as he took a second decontamination shower.

The alarms were still on, as the computer continued, _"All personnel clear. Full decontamination in effect." _

Jenner swiftly turned around and screamed in dismay, _"No!"_

He watched helplessly as the lab got destroyed.

_"Full decontamination complete." _

The screen changed back to the transmission feed in the control room. They watched as Jenner drank from a full glass of red wine and Hermione noted that he looked defeated and deeply upset.

_"The TS19 samples are gone. The tragedy of their loss cannot be overstated. They were our freshest samples by far,"_ he said and emptied the glass in one go.

_"None of the other samples we gathered even came close. Those are necrotic. Useless dead flesh. I don't even know why I'm talking to you," _ he stated as he leaned closer to the camera.

_"I bet there isn't a single son of a bitch out there still listening, is there. Is there? Fine,"_ he said and stood up with a slight groan.

_"Saves me the embarrassment. I think tomorrow I'm gonna blow my brains out. I haven't decided. But tonight… I'm getting drunk," _Jenner said this with such easiness that it send Hermione a chill down her spine. She watched as he poured himself another drink.

_"Speaking of which, how far do you think I can chuck this, huh? Pretty far I bet." _ He held up the empty bottle and threw it across the room and at the sound of shattered glass, he raised his arms and shouted, _"Oh, it is out of the stadium!"_

Jenner closed the transmission, while he drank from his glass.

Hermione didn't know what to say. It was a frustrating situation and she wished that she just could apparate there and get Jenner out, but it was easier said than done. First of all, magical apparation inside any CDC, WHO or other medical building was impossible, due to the magical wards placed at the facility. The final reason was that she would expose the magical world by saving Edwin, which could cause further chaos, distrust and probably blame everything on them as well. She didn't want to think of the disaster such exposure could cause.

With a frustrated sigh, she watched as the IT-Tech opened the live footage of the CDC facility. It showed Jenner, as he sat in the control room and went through what appeared to be some files, with a new bottle of wine next to him.

"This has been uploaded almost three hours ago, but what's worrying is, that he didn't change the fuel cans. We don't know why and he didn't leave any indication on any of his reports. The fuel can reservoir should last him for another 17 months, even with his current status." Sergeant Ford explained.

Another video popped up and showed how Jenner drove a fork lift filled with fuel cans into another room.

"After he lost the TS19 samples, he did this. Moved all the fuel cans away into a storage room that can only be opened by him. If he doesn't change it at the right time, the place will activate the decontamination protocol."

Hermione's and Walter's eyes widened at the information.

"Do you mean…" Hermione voiced out her thought, unable to finish it.

"Yes, if he doesn't change the fuel can half an hour before the activation of the protocol, the whole building will be gone."

"Can't… Is there still no way to contact him? Send others to get him out of there?"

"Unfortunately, no, ma'am. We still need some time to go through the firewall, but with the damage on the connection, it takes time. A month maybe," the IT-Tech explained.

"So, what can you do?" Walter asked hesitantly.

"If that moron doesn't change the fuel can soon, there is nothing we can do," Ford stated. "Therefore, we need to prepare for the worst case scenario. The IT-Techs are downloading the CDC database, those they hadn't already downloaded, and we need you both to guide them through. Prioritize the information you will need, just in case we fail to save everything."

"Yes, yes, of course. Hermione and I will guide you through everything."

Hermione nodded in agreement and said, "We also need, beside the information, several programs that are necessary for our work. Previously, we had used an application program, a link to the main software in the database of the Atlanta CDC."

Both Walter and Hermione listed off the names of the programs they needed, which they began to download immediately.

Suddenly, another IT-Tech typed swiftly on the computer and said, "Sergeant Ford, we have movement on the outside premises of the building."

A new screen shot up on the screen and showed a group of adults and two children. A man was wearing a sheriff hat and uniform, another had a crossbow slung across his shoulder and several of the men carried weapons, protecting mostly the women and children in the group.

"Oh my God," Walter breathed out, "What are they doing there?"

"Trying to survive," Hermione stated, completely taken by surprise at the new turn. She noted that the Sergeant and the IT-Tech talked swiftly to each other, before Ford went to the next soldier in the room, speaking to him shortly and sending him off.

Hermione's heart beat furiously in her chest, as she looked back at the screen and watched the chaos unfold in front of her. The man with the Sheriff hat, who looked to be the leader of the group, moved forward and tried to find an opening, while the others became more and more nervous and aggressive.

Another man in a black shirt tried to furiously talk to the man with the hat. Hermione barely could make out the words they were said. Another screen popped up next to the one of the group and showed Jenner looked with disbelief at the group.

"Why doesn't he open the door?" Walter asked angrily. Hermione tore her eyes from the large screen for a moment and shook her own head in bewilderment. She noted that by now, almost everyone around her had stopped what they were doing and were watching the live feed.

Hermione looked back at the screen and saw how some people began to back away to the way they came. A woman with a son, shouted furiously at the man, while another made an arm gesture for everyone to go back, probably to their cars. Just before everyone turned, the man with the sherif hat, saw something that made him stop and turn back towards the sealed doors. By now, the undead began to get closer to the group. Several of the people begun to shoot at them, to keep them at bay.

Another man tried to drag the Sheriff back, but he pulled away and pointed at the camera, but it appeared that no one believed him. He shouted at the camera, closer this time, which made them hear what he said, _"Hey! I know you're in there. I know you can hear me."_

_"Everybody, get back to the cars now!"_ the other man shouted at the group.

_"Please, we're desperate. Please, help us! We have woman, children, no food, hardly any gas left,"_ the Sheriff pleaded to the camera.

_"Rick!"_ a woman suddenly went to drag him away, but to no use.

But he just brushed her off and continued with his pleading, _"We have nowhere else to go."_

The Sheriff, Rick, pounded on the door, as the other man said something to the group.

_"If you don't let us in, you're killing us! Please!" _

_"Come on, buddy, let's go. Let's go." _The same man with the black shirt appeared and pulled Rick from the door. Hermione's heart went out to the group. For the man, pleading for survival.

_"Please help us!"_ Rick tried one last time, as the man dragged him away, and screamed with desperation over the shouts of the others, _"You're killing us! You're killing us! You're killing us!" _

And then suddenly, a loud clang and a hissing sound could be heard before the shutters went up, and a bright light illuminated the dark front lawn of the CDC facility.

Hermione gasped out in relief and noted that her hands had begun to shake heavily.

"Did… Did we open the door?" Hermione asked into the room.

"No, it was Dr. Jenner's doing," answered one of the IT-Techs.

"Thank God!" Walter exclaimed next to her and sat heavily onto the chair. "For a moment, I had thought that he would let these poor people die."

"So did I, Walter."

They watched as the group walked slowly into the building and met an armed Jenner. After a little talk, which they couldn't hear, both sides lowered their weapons. Jenner pointed to the group at the door and a few people moved back towards the entrance. A few minutes later they returned with various backpacks and walked towards the elevator.

As soon as they reached the elevator he spoke into the internal communication device, _"Vi, seal the main entrance, kill the power up here." _

The elevator camera let them see and hear what they were talking.

_"Rick Grimes,"_ the Sheriff introduced himself and held out his hand to Jenner, who took it slowly and answered in return, _"Dr. Edwin Jenner"_.

The group, Hermione noted, bore all different emotions on their faces. It ranged from relief, happiness, to wariness, suspiciousness and exhaustion.

_"Do doctors always pack heat like that?"_ asked a man in a beige ripped out shirt, with a heavy southern accent. Someone in the background snorted at his comment.

_"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself,"_ answered Jenner, before he joked with the boy, who smiled in return. Jenner appeared awkward and a little out of place, as he led the group, towards the control room.

The soldiers around her began to salute, which made Hermione turned around and saw General Pierce arrive into the room, and both, Sergeant Ford and the IT-Tech explained what happened so far. Hermione barely listened to the conversation and focused back on the screen. She watched as Jenner led them into another room, in which he took blood samples of each one of them.

"I hope this will give Edwin a new push in the right direction," said Walter next to her.

Hermione nodded in agreement and he said, "I hope so. The group looks like… they are good people. Certainly, unique and colorful, but good. And I am rarely wrong, my dear."

She smiled at his words. She came to admire how Walter could find a bright moment in the most depressing or stressful situations. There was never a dull moment between them.

Both Hermione and Walter watched as the group went into the kitchen and prepared food together. Jenner watched them mostly in the background. He only helped when they were looking for something specific. It appeared as if Jenner couldn't believe the scenario in front of him. It must have been strange and a little bizarre to see so many people at once, after being isolated and later forced to be on his own for so long.

Jenner watched silently, as the group dined at the table. Ate and laughed at random things, while Jenner sat a little outside and watched it. He didn't even eat anything. It was like he was soaking in the moment of peace and the appearance of normality.

"Docs?" Sergeant Ford called them and both looked up at him, "Do you wanna stay or return back to your place?"

Hermione looked at Walter and saw the same conclusion in his eyes. She answered for the both of them, "We would like to stay if that's alright. I want to see the blood results from these people and wait until he changes the fuel can. Additionally, Walter and I need to assist the technicians in saving the important files, from the CDC computer."

Walter smiled at the large man in return and nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure thing Docs. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, Abraham," said Walter, called him by his first name, which made him scowl at the elderly man, who in turn was completely obvious to his reaction.

Hermione and Walter returned back to the screen, and took the chairs, which had been offered to them and watched the group on the screen.

"This is like Big Brother," said the IT-Tech to them, "God, how I miss boring TV, lame shows and action movies."

Hermione only smiled and shook her head. "I actually never watched reality shows."

"What? No, shit?"

"No, shit, young man. Neither have I," added Walter false sternly, and chuckled the moment the young man's eyes widened.

Hermione took pity on the man and said, "I was busy with work and never got the time to watch any of it, actually." Which was true and she didn't have a TV, but she chose not to mention that bit of information, not wanting to give the poor man a heart attack.

"We were, and I am sure it was the same case for Dr. Granger here, that we were just too busy with work and research, Mr…?" Walter looked at the chest-piece of the soldier, where the name was written.

"Oh," he exclaimed and blushed a little, before introduced himself formally, "I'm an Information Technology Specialist, Specialist Matt Wilson."

Walter was the first to shake his hand enthusiastically, before Hermione followed suit at a calmer space. Walter immediately begun to ask the Specialist about all kind of things, regarding his line of work. Hermione smiled a little, as she turned back on the screen and watched one of the group members asked Jenner about the other doctors, while Rick tried to calm down the atmosphere.

In the end Jenner answered after the taunting words of the man, while Rick called out the man's name, Shane, but Jenner answered anyway, _"Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just…left. Went off to be with their families."_

By now, he got everyone's attention in the group. Walter returned his attention back to the screen and even several others who watched from the base.

_"And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted."_

_"Every last one?"_

"This one is truly rude," commented Walter. Hermione nodded silently in agreement.

_"No. Many couldn't face walking out the door. They… opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time." _

_"You didn't leave. Why?_" a blond woman asked.

_"I just kept working. Hoping… to do some good,"_ Jenner admitted hesitantly.

Hermione took a deep breath and sight. She noted that he chose not to mention the little outbreak he had just hours ago and she wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.

Soon, the group became quiet and stopped eating. Their smiling faces, dropped to deep frowns or just stared into nothingness. It looked like they lost the little happiness they felt. Hermione felt for them. She could only image the hardship and horror they must have faced. After a moment, the people began to stand up and clean the kitchen. Even Jenner helped them, and after they finished, he led the group into the living quarters and showed them to their rooms. Specialist Wilson opened other windows to follow each of the group members into their room. They watched as several of them went to jump on the bed or made a beeline to the bathrooms.

"I hope you won't violate the privacy of these people," Hermione stated with a raised eyebrow at the IT-Tech.

Wilson cleared awkwardly his throat and shut a few windows, "No, ma'am. Of course not."

Walter only shook his head and mutters about youth and libidos, which made Hermione chuckle lightly.

"Dr. Granger, Dr. Harris, the blood results came through," Matt Wilson, called out and both looked at the screen to read over the results. Jenner tested the samples on the protein base and general blood test. Both pored over the information on a separate screen and quickly discovered the same change in the amino acid, which indicates to have the same protein mutation and therefore a carrier of the pathogen. Every sample showed the same results.

"Would have been too good to be true, if there was just one immune person in this epidemic," Walter trailed off with a sigh, as he moved away from the screen that showed the test results of the group.

Hermione smiled sadly at Walter, as she comforted him with a pat on his shoulder. "We will figure something out, Walter."

"Yes, we will, my dear," he agreed with a small smile.

Both returned to watch the footage of the Atlanta CDC. Jenner was in the control room, analyzing the same data, which Walter and Hermione just finished, as Rick walk into the room, with a bottle in his hand. He wore a little smile, as he knocked on the monitor desk in passing, as he walked towards Jenner and Hermione couldn't help, but feel drawn to him. There was just something about him that called out to her. It was not only just his physical attraction, which was a clearly added bonus and appealed to her greatly, but his bravery and his strength earlier, at the gate of the CDC facility had touched her deeply. Someone who would fight tooth and nail to defend those who needed it to be protected and cared for was special. She could guess that he wasn't only strong and brave, but also deeply loyal and someone who held on his ideals, principles, of what was right and not just easy.

The more Hermione had watched him, the more she begun to understand him. That's how she figured out that most of the people in his group, were probably people he hadn't known before the outbreak and yet, she could see he didn't only take care of them but also felt responsible for these people.

_"How's the blood?"_ Rick asked, which pulled Hermione from her musing.

_"No surprises."_

_"I came to thank you,"_ he said and smiled a little.

_"You did,"_ Jenner said in return and sounded a little unsure.

Suddenly, Rick couldn't hold himself up any longer and sat on the ground.

_"You…you all right?"_ Jenner asked a little awkwardly.

Rick's easy demeanor suddenly changed into that of a haunted man, as he spoke gloomily, _"You don't know what it's like."_ He chuckled a little hysterically and she noted that he sounded a little tipsy as well.

_"You don't know what it's like out there. You think you do. But you don't. We'd have died out there. It's only a matter of time. There's too many of those things." _

Jenner listened intently to Rick's words.

_"M-my boy…my wife. I never…I never told them what I really thought. Never really hinted. I just… I just kept it in." _

Hermione's heart went out to the man. To feel so much pressure and not able to tell anyone, how he truly felt must have been terrible and lonely. A familiar burden, one that she could relate to.

_"Kept them… Kept us moving, you know? Just kept it in."_

_"It'll all be OK. It will be OK," _Jenner said calmly, but the way he said it made Hermione frown. Something felt off to her about his words. Like he had come to a conclusion or decision.

Several of the people in the group went to bed and Hermione stood up to do the same. "I think, I will call it a night, Walter. I will be here in the morning though."

"Me too, my dear. It's quite late and I-" Walter gasped at something on the screen and Hermione turned to look at it and her eyes widened.

They saw the man, Shane, attack the brown haired woman, Rick's wife. Hermione's breath stopped and hoped that someone would stop him before it was too late. Fortunately though, the woman somehow hurt him, which made the man take a few steps back, apparently coming to his senses and left without another word.

"What the bloody hell just happened?" Hermione asked into the shocked room. Specialist Wilson, rewound the scene back and let it play again. Even a second time, it wasn't easy to witness the attack on the woman. It appeared that the woman had an affair with her husband's best friend, who had fallen in love with her, but couldn't seem to accept that he was tossed away just because her husband was still alive after surviving the impossible.

"This is…" Hermione trailed off unable to finish her thought.

"Crazy? Dramatic? Totally Big Brother?" concluded the IT-Tech with wide shocked eyes.

* * *

**13****th**** July 2011**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

The whole night, Hermione had barely slept. The attack she had witnessed, had shocked her deeply. Dread filled her about their situation, especially since Jenner hadn't changed the fuel can. Harry had been awake when she returned, late at night. She had explained to him, over a cup of tea, what had happened and he instantly offered to watch over the children. He would meet her at the control room, after he dropped them at the McGonagall's in the morning, to which she agreed with relief.

Hermione woke up around six in the morning, quickly got ready and left her flat. She walked to towards the building, until a car pulled up and stopped next to her.

"Hermione! Good morning, my dear. Come on it, we will go together."

Hermione greeted both father and son, as she went into the car. They talked a little, as they went into the control room of the building.

Just a few people were in the room. The screen showed various areas and sections of the CDC facility. Jenner had been awake and in what appeared to be Candace's office. A few others in the group were awake and in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for everyone.

Walter and Hermione idly talked about random things, while they watched the group on the screen. One by one they joined the people in the kitchen. Everything was calm and peaceful, until Shane joined the group. Hermione noted the tension between the brunette and Shane was heavy in the air. It surprised her that no one else in the group noticed, except for the eldest member of the group, who had looked at those two before he shook his head and went back to his breakfast. It appeared that the woman never told her husband, Rick, about last nights assault on herself.

Harry joined the control room, after he dropped Teddy and Jon off at the McGonagall's. He had come to the main building because of an appointment he had with someone at the logistic and security section to organize future deliveries.

Just as Harry was about to leave, they noticed on the screen that the group followed Jenner into the control room.

"What's happening?" Harry asked confused.

"I don't know. Walter, what's going on?"

"They want to know more about the disease and Edwin plans to explain it to them. I truly hope that someone will notice the timer and convince the man to change the fuel."

Hermione and Harry stood next to Walter and watched the whole scene in front of them. She was a little surprised that he showed the group the last moments of Candace. During his explanation, he used simple words and made it more understandable for the others. By now, the whole control room watched Jenner explain to the group, how the pathogen infected and turned the people. Even though several of them had seen this video, and knew how it operated by now, but seeing the MRI was still something…unique and rare.

"This is how it happens?" Harry asked Hermione in a gentle voice, who saw the footage for the first time.

He never took his eyes off the screen and Hermione noted that he had the familiar haunted look in the eyes. She didn't have to ask where his thought were, as she could figure out that it must be about Ron. She gently grabbed his hand and held it tightly, as she whispered gently, "Yes."

The room continued to watch the live feed of the CDC facility.

_"You have no idea what it is, do you?"_ concluded the blond woman, upset.

_"It could be microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal,"_ answered Jenner calmly.

_"Or the wrath of god?"_ an afro-american woman pointed out.

_"There is that,"_ agreed Jenner

_"Somebody must know something. Somebody somewhere,"_ said the same blond woman.

_"There are others, right? Other facilities?" _asked a woman with very short hair.

_"There may be some. People like me," he paused and took a deep breath. "There had been two other scientists. Brilliant and pioneers in their field. They may be still out there and trying to stop this. But I don't know what happened to them. I don't think they are alive anymore." _

_"You don't know? How can you not know?"_ asked Rick in disbelief.

_"Everything went down. Communication, directives, all of it. I've been in the dark for almost a month. That was the last time I had contact with the two scientists." _

_"So, it's not just here. There's nothing left anywhere? Nothing? That's what you're really saying right?"_ asked the blond woman rather hysterically.

This time, Jenner chose not to answer and stayed silent. Letting the others come to their own conclusion.

_"Jesus!"_

_"Man, I'm gonna get soon faced drunk again." _

Shock and disbelief were written all over their faces at the information.

_"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but that clock - it's counting down? What happens at zero?" _

"Finally, someone asked the question," sighed Walter next to her.

There wasn't even an hour left until decontamination and Hermione hoped that Jenner would finally come to his senses again. But her hopes went crashing down, as soon as Jenner opened his mouth.

_"The basement generators - they run out of fuel,"_ said Jenner nonchalantly, as he would give the answer to a simple equation.

"Damn it, Jenner!" Ford said angrily, as everyone in the room knew what this meant.

Rick pressed on, _"And then?" _

But Jenner choose to leave the room instead.

"Merlin!" Hermione breathed out in dismay and forgot for a moment that she was in the company of muggles. But fortunately, no one had paid her any attention and only Harry noticed her slip, who glanced at her for a moment before he looked back at the large screen.

"He is really doing it. My God!" exclaimed Walter in shock.

_"Vi, what happens when the power runs out?"_ Rick asked the virtual computer system.

_"When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur." _

The group immediately spread out and Rick took charge and led the group out of the control room.

"What does it mean, Hermione?" Harry asked and looked at her. She had only shortly explained to him what had happened.

"It means that the whole facility will be decontaminated by H.I.T.." At his confused look, Hermione continued, "It's the strongest type of explosion, just before a nuclear weapon. It will destroy, burn the whole building and will collapse the facility into itself."

"Bloody hell!"

On the screen, several members of the group made their way to the maintenance room in the lower area, while they questioned Jenner's sanity. They soon realized that only empty fuel cans were in the maintenance room. Shane, to her surprise, figured out that there should have been more, but everyone dropped the matter shortly after.

And then the emergency lights went on.

"The generators will continually shut down each level of the building, but the computers will be the last to shut down. We will be able to follow up until decontamination protocol goes through," stated Specialist Wilson to Staff Sergeant Smith and Sergeant Ford, who stood next to the computer monitors and the specialist.

"Has all the data been saved?"

"Yes, sir. We were able to download the whole data half an hour ago."

Hermione looked at the sudden open door and watched as General Pierce entered the room. Smith and Ford briefed him about the current situation. The screen showed different windows of the people in the facility. Jenner was in Candace office, with her picture in his hand, while others were either in their rooms or returned back from the maintenance room.

It was clear to everyone, here in the control room, as they watched the scene unfold before them that they could do nothing to stop the upcoming disaster. They only could wait for the inevitable to happen.

The whole group followed Jenner back to the control room, as they wanted to know what was happening. They were visibly upset, angry, scared and agitated about their situation. Jenner only gave vague answers, which began to scare them even more, while he drunk from the bottle he took from the man with the ripped shirt.

Several cameras went black.

"Cameras in Zone 5 are shut down. We have visual and audio in the control room through the computers and outside the building, which are run from the outside generators. 31 minutes 25 seconds left until decontamination," Wilson informed the people in the room, as they watched the group enter the control room. Jenner took another swing straight from a bottle. The people stood there, terrified at their situation and the man in front of them.

"Is there no way to help them?" Harry asked Hermione.

"No. It's impossible for outsiders to overwrite the computer and take control of it. The safety measures are impossible to breach. Nothing can be done," Hermione answered, before her voice dropped to a whisper, "Magic won't work on a facility like that. Remember the WHO I worked for? They have cooperation with the magical world and they placed heavy wards and magic to protect the building against intruders. The CDC follows the same protocol. And besides, even if we just apparated outside the building, we would cause more chaos and disaster by revealing our magic than help."

Harry sighed in frustration, as his hand went through his hair. He nodded silently at Hermione's words and didn't say anything else.

_"It was the French?"_ Jenner suddenly said.

_"What?"_ exclaimed the blond woman and Hermione at his words.

_"They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know, after I lost the connection to everyone. For some reason, I could still get in contact with them, until almost a week ago…While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways, they stayed in the labs till the end. They thought they were close to a solution." _

Walter snorted at the thought, and commented, "Not likely. Those morons haven't discovered anything."

_"What happened?"_ asked the afro-american woman.

_"The same thing that's happening here. No power grid. Ran out of juice." _Jenner snorted at that and continued, _"The world runs on fossil fuel. I mean how stupid is that?"_

Suddenly, another window appeared, which showed Jenner, who ignored the others and went to one of the computers, which activated the doors that shut them into the control room and then began to cast his last transmission, _"We've hit the 30-minute window. I am recording." _

The situation began to grow out of control, the people became angry and begun to panic.

_"Hey, Jenner, open that door now!"_

_"There's no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed." _

_"Well, open the damn things." _

_"That's not something I control. The computer does. I told you once that front door closed, it wouldn't open again. You heard me say that….It's better this way." _

_"What is?" _Rick demanded. _"What happens in 28 minutes? What happens in 28 minutes?"_

_"COME ON!" _Jenner shouted suddenly and stood up. _"You know what this place is?! We protected the public from very nasty stuff! Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strains that could wipe out half the country! Stuff you don't want getting out! Ever!"_ He took a deep breath and continued, _"In the event of a catastrophic power failure-in a terrorist attack, for example, H.I.T. are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out." _

_"H.I.T?"_ Rick asked confused.

_"Vi, define."_

_"H.I.T's- high-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives consists of a two-stage aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vaccum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen between 5.000 and 6.000 degrees and is used when the greatest loss of life and damage to structures is desired." _

Almost everyone on the screen wore looks of disbelief and fear on their face.

_"It sets the air on fire. No pain. An end to sorrow, grief, regret. Everything." _

Hermione's hand tightened in Harry's.

But the other guy, the one with the ripped off shirt, continued to shout at Jenner to open the door. Jenner was unfazed at the anger of the people. His decision was made up and it was clear that he planned to take everyone with him.

Others tried to break the door with an axe, but it wouldn't budge. Hermione knew that nothing would be able to break it. No guns, fire or even bombs, not even magic could put a scratch on the door.

Jenner tried to make them see his reasons and that there was no way out of this. Even though the blond and afro-american woman seemed to have accepted their situation, the others tried to open the door, until Jenner explained that nothing could break them, which caused the man with the ripped shirt try to attack Jenner with his axe, but was stopped by the others.

"I would do the same," confessed Harry angrily.

_"Everything is gone! Do you not understand? Listen to your friend. She gets it. This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event." _

"What a prissy little nancy," Ford muttered, to which Harry snorted in agreement with.

_"One tiny moment. A millisecond. No pain." _

_"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this." _

_"Wouldn't it be kinder, more compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?"_ Jenner asked the woman, who held her daughter tightly and cried.

_"Shane, no!" _Rick shouted at the man who carried a riffle and headed towards Jenner. Hermione sucked in her breath in fear.

"_Out of the way, Rick!_ _Stay out of my way! Open that door or I'm gonna blow your head off."_ Shane growled angrily, as he pointed his gun at Jenner, who waited calmly for his end. Nothing seemed to faze him anymore. Shane, on the other hand, looked like a caged animal, who was ready to snap and attack.

Rick tried to calm him down and almost succeeded, but Shane let out his frustration by shooting aimlessly around the room as he screamed in anger. Two screens went black, until Rick, from what they could see attacked Shane, got the weapon off him and calmed him down.

"Sir, we lost two of the upper level cameras. We still have visual on the computer and one on the upper level."

Rick took a deep breath, took a moment and then confronted Jenner, _"I think you're lying." _

_"What?"_ Jenner looked taken aback at his words.

_"You're lying. About no hope. If that were true, you'd have bolted with the rest or taken the easy way out. You didn't. You chose the hard path. Why? Maybe… maybe you are waiting for the two scientists to get back at you? They could still be out there, working on something on how to stop it. There is still hope."_

_"It doesn't matter." _

_"It does matter. It always matters. You stayed when others ran. Waited. Why?"_ Rick persisted.

_"Not because I wanted to. I made a promise to her. My wife,"_ Jenner confessed angrily and pointed at the computer screen.

_"Test subject 19 was your wife?"_ someone asked in the background.

_"She begged me to keep going as long as I could and work with Dr. Hermione Granger and Dr. Walter Harris, the two scientists. How could I say no? She was dying. It should've been me on that table. I wouldn't have mattered to anybody. She was a loss to the world. Hell, she ran this place. I just worked here. In her field, she was an Einstein, just like Granger and Harris. They were pioneers in their field, who had already changed the world. Me? I'm just Edwin Jenner. They could've done something about this. Not me." _

_"They could be still alive!"_ Rick said. _"They could be still out there and finding a cure."_

_"I haven't heard from them since a month. There is nothing out there. It's all gone!"_

_"There is still a chance. Your wife didn't have a choice. You do. That's- that's all we want. A choice, a chance. Let us keep trying as long as we can."_

After a moment, Jenner walked towards the computer, with the card in his hand.

_"I told you topside's locked down. I can't open those,"_ Jenner finally relented and the doors opened.

"Thank, God!" Walter exclaimed. Hermione gasped in shock at the turn of the situation. Most of the people ran out of the building. Hermione noticed that Jenner whispered something to Rick, which caused his eyes to widen. She could only guess what he had whispered to him. Hermione had already wondered why he didn't reveal the news that everyone was infected to the group. Maybe he didn't want to take away their last hope or maybe he himself didn't want to accept the situation in the first place? Hermione could only guess what motivated him to reveal this information only to Rick.

While almost everyone ran towards the exit, Jenner stayed behind and oddly enough the blond and afro-american woman as well. An elderly man around Walter's age tried to convince the blond one to leave with him, but she refused point blank.

"Can we see the others?" Walter asked anxiously.

"Negative. The cameras are still out. We only have visual outside the building and in the control room-wait! What was that?" The IT-Tech opened various windows and one camera, which showed an explosion from the window.

"It looks like a shell blasted through the main entrance window," he said and showed the live feed, as the people left the building and rushed to their cars, shooting at the nearby undead on their way.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Bloody hell!"

"Fuck me!"

_"They made it," _Jenner said and turned towards the woman, who sat next to her.

The people in the room couldn't believe the scene in front of them. Hermione's heart raced in her chest as she watched them run off. And then she noticed the blond and elderly man running out of the building as well. She quickly looked back at Jenner's screen and saw that those two weren't in the room anymore. She stopped breathing as she watched them, just reaching the outside of the facility ground. There were only a few seconds left, as the last two people who left the building took cover behind military sandbags wall. She hoped that would be enough to cover them.

Hermione watched in tears the last moments of Jenner and the afro-american woman, whose tear strained face smiled at Jenner with something akin of peace. Both faced each other in the end and held their hands, as they shared their final moment together.

And then the screen went blank.

The control room was completely silent. No one said anything or moved, until the General ordered the Specialist Wilson and his team, to create further back-ups of their downloads from the database and to inform Washington about the CDC facility.

Hermione hoped and wished that this group would survive the coming hardship.

* * *

A/N: This is just a filler and the official end of Season 1. I also played with the timeframe a little bit. In the show, Jenner smashed the bottle and soon after Rick group arrived. Here it is a little later to fit in the story. Hope you guys don't mind.


	12. Chapter 11 - The Z-Virus

A/N: Before you all go read up the next chapter, I would like to take the time and thank White Squirrel, who revised the scientific part of the story and uoduck for beta reading this whole chapter to make sure there weren't any stupid mistakes left. Thank you so much!

I also want to thank everyone for the great and wonderful reviews and all those who followed and favorited the story. I hope you will like this chapter as well :)

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 11 - The Z-Virus**

* * *

**17****th**** July 2011**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Harry**

The days grew hotter and more humid. Sometimes it felt like they were living in a Swedish sauna. Not that he ever visited one, but if he had to guess on how it would be, this inhumanly hot weather would be it.

Unfortunately, they couldn't use the muggle air conditioners, due to the power saving the base went through. Since the CDC incident, General Pierce had ordered everyone to change their electricity production to a more renewable energy that could support the base on its own and without the dependence of fossil energy. A team of IT-Techs led by Specialist Walter Harris began to work on an alternative plan to ensure the power supply in the military base and the solution they had come up with had been renewable energy. Due to the climate in Louisiana, they decided that it would be best to get solar panels and generators that could save up to months of energy.

Until the electricity problem was solved, only a few places were allowed to receive constant run on air conditioner. Those places were the lab, control room and the hospital just to name a few.

It surprised Harry greatly to see how resourceful and inventive muggles could be, in order to make things work or to find a way to protect themselves effectively.

In the meantime, while they couldn't use a muggle air conditioner, Harry and Hermione cast cooling charms on their little family whenever they were alone.

"Bloody hell, it's too hot! I miss England weather."

"Teddy, language!"

"Sorry, Aunt Mione."

Harry tried to hide his smile as she watched his best friend, son and the new addition to the family sat at the dining table in the living room, having lunch. Hermione had insisted that they should at least eat once a day together, to give some sort of stability to the family. He had to agree with her and both had figured out on how to make this possible, which wasn't always easy.

Harry just finished his plate of pasta, when the mirror call came in. He pulled the little device out of his pocket and opened it quickly. He was greeted by Neville and the way he looked, made his smile drop immediately.

_"Hey, Harry."_

"Neville, what happened to you?" Harry asked, cutting to the chase.

He knew something must have gone wrong, the moment he noticed the visible injuries on his face. Hermione instantly stood up and crossed the distance to Harry. Jon had been in his baby chair, grabbing the mashed noodles and putting them into his mouth, whenever Hermione wasn't looking. Teddy sat next to Harry, as he leaned closer to look as well. Hermione gasped as soon as she saw him, which made the once shy boy cringe nervously.

Neville's face was covered in scratches, bruises and a long deep scar was seen on his left side of his face, beginning from his left forehead, to his eyebrow down to his cheek. It had barely missed his eye.

_"I'm fine. Really. Didn't mean to worry you guys."_

"But what happened?" Hermione asked.

Neville sighed and explained, "A few people, including myself, needed to get food supplies, clothes and such. The land I have at the Manor ground is still not ready yet, for harvesting and we needed food now. So, we decided to go to those muggle shops and well, we were a little careless. We didn't check the back of the store for any of the undead and a group of them attacked us. We fought them off, but one almost got me. I didn't see him coming at me."

Hermione sucked in her breath as her hand flew to her mouth. Harry froze at the information and reminded himself that Neville looked fine, but still asked him, "Did they…" He couldn't seem to finish the sentence. The thought of loosing someone close again was terrifying.

_"No. I'm fine, but it was close. I almost got bitten, had it not been for my house-elf, Dinkel. He explained that he felt that I was in danger and appeared next to me and blasted the undead, before it… Anyway, he single handedly killed those things. But the strangest thing was, that when Dinkel appeared next to me, I noticed that they didn't seem aware of my house-elf, at first. Just when Dinkel began to talk and make movements, did they realize that he was there." _

Harry looked at Hermione and could almost see her mind going into overdrive, as she probably thought about how this strange occurrence could have happened.

Harry turned back to Neville and asked, "So, you're saying that the house-elves can be undetected if they want to?"

_"Yes, I think so."_

"Of course!" Hermione exclaimed excitingly, "House-elves have a different body make up, which is the reason why they are incompatible with the pathogen. Their biological structure doesn't make them a priority to the undead."

At everyone's confused look, she explained, "From what we have discovered, the pathogen, the disease that changes us, from a fluid exchange with an undead, has two stages. The first is a mutated gene in our bodies that produces the inactive pathogen protein, and the second is the activated pathogen from the undead in our body. A few years ago, I got a blood sample from a house-elf, with his consent of course, and I found out that house-elves have a completely different DNA coding. Their blood has even a dark pink coloring. This doesn't make them appeal to the undead. Of course, from what we know, the undead still attack anything that still lives, but this means that house-elves won't be their top prey."

Harry involuntary closed his eyes for a moment. At the mention of house-elf and blood, his mind drifted to Dobby. It had been a while since he had thought of his lost friend. As if Hermione sensed his trail of thought, she placed a gentle hand on his forearm and squeezed it in apology. Harry gave her a small smile in return.

"To make it simple," she continued after a moment. "It's like with the animals. The disease cannot turn other species, instead, it kills them slowly and I believe, even painfully, as soon as they get it into their systems. I think house-elves, could easily hide in plain sight from the undead. From the research I've found out, other scientists had figured out that the undead don't see the animals as their primary target, only when they don't have a human target around, will they attack animals. A side effect, I would assume and I think that it is safe to say that magical creatures work the same way. The undead can smell and somehow sense living and uninfected humans."

Neville nodded and asked, _"And what about the halfbreeds? Like a Veela, or even those remaining werewolves? Could they be saved from the undead?" _

Hermione shook her head and answered, "No. They still have the same DNA make up of human. Even with the mutated genes, due to the curse or heritage, they are still human in essence. I could only theorize that maybe an undead will look twice if it comes across a Veela, Werewolf or half-giant, but it will attack in the end."

_"Okay, I understand… and it makes sense." _

Harry chuckled at Neville. He knew that she had used very simple words to make it understandable for Neville.

_"Makes sense. I will inform Kingsley and I think they will broadcast this in the Wireless later today. We could maybe take our house-elves with us in the future for supply runs and they could provide us with more security." _

Harry bit his tongue, as he was trying to stop himself from smiling, when he noted Hermione's face. Her eyes had narrowed dangerously at the mention of using house-elves. He guessed that even years later, SPEW was still somewhere on her mind.

"I really hope you don't plan to abuse the house-elves for such a dangerous prospect of sending them into the muggle world, which they are clearly unfamiliar with, Neville Longbottom."

Neville paled dramatically and looked from Hermione's enraged face, to Harry's, looking for help. Teddy began to chuckle, but stopped immediately after Harry elbowed him lightly. An angry Hermione was a dangerous Hermione, and that was the one thing Harry clearly avoided over the years.

Neville tried to say something, spluttered random words out, as he tried to deny having such intentions, which only made her eyes narrow further.

"I reckon I will have a word with Kingsley. Go fetch him, Neville."

* * *

**20****th**** July 2011**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

"Are you sure you want to stay, my dear? We can continue tomorrow."

"No, it's alright. I will wait for the results of our testing and will leave you the notes of my conclusion."

"If you are sure," Walter relented.

"I am. Harry watches over the kids, so I'm good. Go get some rest, Walter. I will see you tomorrow."

With a final nod and well wishes, he left and as soon as the door closed, Hermione cast a quick Muggle Repelling and Locking Spell at the front and exit doors.

She walked towards her desk and pulled out a doll from her drawer. It was a magical human body replica with a fully functional body, bones, muscle, a blood stream, and organs. It was a lifeless vessel that has not the ability to live or become alive. These magical dummies were used for experiments and potion testing, which she had used several times in the past. It was also possible to inflict the magical dummy with the disease, which enabled people to see the effects of the potion with a human. A magical version of the muggle medical trials.

It had taken Hermione a week to recreate the magical dummies at her place, with a complicated transfiguration spells and charms that had several spell stages until completion.

Hermione placed the dummy on the large table in the lab and cast an enlargement charm and made it as tall as herself. She had used her own blood and duplicated it into the doll, which had also the same mutated DNA.

Hermione took a sample of the pathogen, which Walter and herself had activated from a simulated blood death. During their research with a lifeless undead body, both had noticed that the pathogen became gradually inactive in the host's body. It was like the pathogen was slowly dying. Even after two weeks, they were still active pathogen's within the lifeless undead body, but it was still contagious to any human and the only way to prevent any further infections, would be to burn the bodies. This was the only way to make sure that the infection got under control, which became the standard protocol.

Hermione went back to her secret magical testing and pulled out a Quick Quote Quill, as well as her notebook, where Hermione collected her findings, magical tests and theories.

"It's 20th July 2011. Testing the pathogen, on the magical dummy. I am injecting it with 10ml of the activated infected blood into the left forearm. I will monitor the process and behavior of the pathogen with a standard monitoring spell and a nervous system scan spell," Hermione spoke out clearly, as the quill quickly wrote every word down in the notebook.

* * *

**22****nd**** July 2011**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

At first, they had planned to hold the presentation, an update of their discovery of their work, like last time, in the conference room, but Sergeant Ford moved them towards the large control room, where more people could watch and the IT-Techs could record their findings. Hermione became more nervous, when she realized that there were at least forty to fifty people in the room, as well as cameras that were recording everything. Even though, she had held several seminars, lectures or had in the past presented her work to a larger crowd, she had never gotten used to it.

Hermione stood next to Walter as he began to explain their theory and how they proceeded from there. She noted that he used simple words and explained the important ones.

"We believe that the unknown pathogen is in fact a new form of prion, which we call the Z-Prion, not a traditional virus or bacterium, derived from the protein produced by our mutated DNA. We're still investigating the source of the mutation, but based on its DNA signature, we suspect an as-yet-unidentified retrovirus that we're calling the Z-Virus, which has already infected the whole of the population. The Z-Virus produces mutated proteins in our nervous systems, and when the pathogen—the Z-Prion—comes in contact with them, they are transformed into more copies of the pathogen itself.

"Dr Granger and I believe that the Z-Virus won't be able to infect our body through skin or salvia contact, unless it finds a way into the blood stream through an injury. Yet, it would be better to prevent any such situation in the first place."

On the screen, Walter showed an enhanced picture of the Z-Prion, which switched to further pictures of the structure of the said prion. Specialist Matt Wilson, or some of his IT-Tech team, had been helpful in preparation of the presentation, by providing visualization of their work. Afterwards, Walter showed them the current mutated gene in the human body, and thanks to the database of the CDC, they were able to compare it with a healthy genetic sequence.

"This mutation and your hypothetical Z-Virus that caused all this, could it be possible that it was deliberately created to attack people? How did it start in the first place?" General Pierce asked.

"We can only theorize, sir," Hermione took over as she explained, "Seeing how the infection spread and became global so fast and uncontrollably, Dr. Harris and I believe that whatever had caused this mutation, was with the utmost probability airborne. We can't be certain about the virus bit yet. It could conceivably be a complex chemical toxin.

"We can also only guess, about the strategical attack and weaponization of the virus. It could be possible, yes. But we haven't found any such indication in the CDC files. However, if you ask my personal opinion, sir, I don't believe so."

"Please explain, Dr Granger."

"The mutation and the Z-Prion are something that hasn't been seen before. It breaks all science and biochemistry laws. There are thousands of viruses out there, created by evolution, nature or even mankind for the use of bioweapons, and not a few prions, but this, but this is something new. It's like a half of a puzzle. Due to the mutated gene in our body, it could have arisen from within us. There are endogenous retroviruses—remnants of ancient, dead retroviruses encoded in our DNA that have been inactive for millions of years—thousands of them, and they can move around on our chromosomes. Maybe some chemical in the air made them jump to a location where they became active again. We just don't know.

"What we know and had presented the last time was that we all are infected. Even if we don't get in contact with the Z-Prion, we will turn, due to the chemical changes upon death within the body. It appears that the reanimation of the body occurs in response to the chemical changes that normally happen at the onset of _rigor mortis_, two to six hours after death. As soon as this procedure begins, the brain stem activates itself and the previous dead person reanimates. There is no living being in the world, be it human or animal that has ever reanimation after a confirmed death. Biologically speaking, this should be an impossibility.

"But the other impossible thing is that no matter how it happened, this type of mutation occurring in every person in the world, most at nearly the same time should never have gone undetected for so long."

"How so?" someone from the audience asked.

"This level of extreme change should have been detected sooner, but this is not the case here. We haven't found any other documentation in the CDC files that could have shown a new mutation outbreak somewhere around the world, since the beginning of Project Wildfire. There have been no reports of people, who had shown a different reaction or even immunity towards this mutation or from a direct infection from the undead.

"Dr. Harris and I, even went through the documented supplies and items of patient zero, Dr. Magnus Morris, but there was absolutely nothing that could have even created a cough mixture in this lab, not to mention an undetectable mutated gene particle that had the capability to infect the whole world through a possible airborne outbreak, mutate their very gene-pool to only create within their own body, a never seen before virus and kill all humankind, only to reanimate them and hunt down all humans. I don't think so."

Walter spoke up next to Hermione,

"Other animals don't get infected the way we do and can't carry the disease because the mutated protein is specifically from a human gene. In animals, the Z-Prion only acts like a neurotoxin, slowly killing them. However, the greatest anomaly is the decaying process. The decomposition process begins usually shortly after the death. Even with the resurrection procedure, we would have expected that the decay phases would continue, but the body it is absolutely free of any decomposition phases. It doesn't decay like any other humans or species do, as we know it.

"We can only guess that something in the bodies of the undead kills all of the bacteria and fungi that cause decomposition. The undead bodies…slowly mummify, essentially, depending on the humidity. Eventually, they'll disintegrate like old leather, but that could take years. That's one more reason to burn the bodies instead of burying them, but we would've wanted to do that anyway because the only way to reliably destroy prions is incineration."

"This is all very informative and interesting, Dr. Walter, but why are we here?" General Pierce asked impatiently.

"Oh, right, well, Dr. Granger and I, we think we found a way to temporarily stop the infection, but it is quite an unorthodox way to achieve it."

Hermione noted that the people in the room looked with wide eyes at them both.

"You have a cure?" Sergeant Ford asked surprised.

"No, no. Not a cure, more of a last minute solution, if the worst should happen. My dear, I think it would be best if you could explain it, after all you did figure it out."

Walter smiled at Hermione and gestured for her to come forward again. She blushed a little at the sudden attention.

She recalled the tests she did on the magical dummy and began to explain her theory. "Walter and I made an autopsy on a lifeless undead body to try to figure out how the disease progressed. What we found is that even though the pathogen affects the nervous system, it pretty clearly travels through the _blood_. The veins around the bite wound were discolored, and the tissue damage was greater, even compared with other wounds from bullets and sharp objects."

Walter had pulled out a picture of what Hermione was describing and enhanced it with his remote. It was clear to see for anyone that the bite wound was almost black compared to the other rest of the body.

"A toxic infection, caused by a plant or animal poison has such a similar reaction. The infected area will show the greatest source of poisoning, even after it reached the body. Seeing the similarities, I believe that there is a small time window, that can save someone who gets bitten by the undead. Since we can't possibly remove the infection by cleaning out the wound, which is made in several poisoning treatments, we can only take a more drastic approach to ensure the survival of the patient. Upon infection cause by an undead, through a bite wound or deep scratch, in which body fluid were exchanged, the infected area has to be removed by… by cutting off the infected body part."

Everyone stared shocked at Hermione. She let her words sink in before she continued.

"I said that it was a rather unorthodox method," Walter chipped in.

"Depending on the circumstances, with a bite wound to an arm or a leg, it should take about thirty seconds for the pathogen to reach the torso through the bloodstream. I know that's not much time, but if someone else is there who can remove the injured limb that quickly, it will stop the infection."

"Let me get this straight, doc," Sergeant Ford spoke up, sounding doubtful, "You want someone, who gets bitten to chop off his arm or leg, above the bite or scratch wound caused by those walkers and all under two minutes?"

Before Hermione could say something, Walter spoke up, "Well, yes. I would suggest that someone else does the chopping off, because I don't think that the person would be able to cut ones limb, especially if a right-handed person get's bitten on that said arm." Walter chuckled at his own words, as he continued, "Quite an image, don't you think."

Even Hermione had to smile a little at his words. It had broken the dreary atmosphere in the room and several of the soldiers were laughing at Walter's words.

"And you are sure this will work, Dr. Granger?" General Pierce.

Hermione was certain that this approach would work. She had tried it on the magical test dummy and was able to stop the infection process with this method. It had been disturbing for Hermione to cut off limbs, even though it was just a lifeless doll like figure. She had tested the method several times under different timeframes and knew approximately how much time was left, until it was too late, but she couldn't tell this to the others. Only Harry knew of what she did and how she had experimented. He was currently recording the presentation with a magical pen, like a muggle camera that was hosted on his shirt.

"Yes, I am. It's not a foolproof method, but until we have found a permanent solution, I believe that this is the only way to save lives for now. It is a chance to survive."

It was a gruesome image, but the military men understood the situation well enough to follow her logic.

"How long will it take to find a cure?" Sergeant Smith asked next.

"Dr. Granger and have several lines of research that we're working on. The first is a way to either destroy the Z-Prion chemically or stimulate our immune systems to destroy it. If that works, we could use it to treat an active infection before the patient dies, and if we could disperse it into the environment, it would disable the undead and make the bodies start decaying again.

"The second line of attack is to remove or disable the mutation in our DNA so that our bodies stop producing the mutated protein. That's a standard genetic engineering method that's well-understood…well-understood in lab mice, at least.

"The third line is to isolate the Z-Virus retrovirus that caused the mutation in the first place and create a vaccine for it so that once we find a cure, we can't be infected again. We hope to combine all three treatments into a single serum, which we're calling NOVA. As of now, we can't tell how long it will take. It's a lot of work, much of it with experimental techniques, but Dr. Granger and I believe that we can create NOVA."

She noted the hopeful looks and silently prayed to anyone who was listening that they would succeed with NOVA.

"These are good news. I would like you both to explain again exactly how the emergency amputation should be performed to my squad leaders and other non-coms who haven't been here to witness this presentation. They will forward the information to their individual team members," General Pierce said.

Hermione and Walter agreed to the General's words and soon, both begun to explain in details to another room full of soldiers, of the emergency solution to an infection.

* * *

**4****th**** August 2011**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

Laugher and delighted squeals filled the living room, as Hermione watched with a smile Teddy and Jon play around. It was not often that Hermione got to be at home and stay behind. Walter was at the lab and wrote down the protocol of their testing, which would later updated and shared with other facilities, while he kept watch on the test subjects as well. Hermione would join him after Harry returned from his own day of work with Sergeant Ford, overseeing the safety of the base.

Hermione sat back and simply enjoyed the day with her two boys, who meant to world to her.

Jon, who was almost seven months, supported himself on the coffee table and stood on his two wobbling legs. Hermione pulled out a camera and snapped a picture as soon as Jon tried to chase Teddy around the room, who scooted away from Jon, whenever he almost reached him. In addition, to the game Teddy played with the toddler, he changed his hair structure, color and nose randomly, which made Jon laugh even harder.

Sometimes, Hermione couldn't quite believe how fast he was growing. It seemed like it was yesterday, when she had found him on her journey to the military base.

Jon suddenly turned to Hermione, looking at her with his big blue eyes, and began to speak in his own way with Hermione, while he pointed his finger at Teddy. She pretended to understand him and enlightened him by speaking with him about Teddy, and encouraged him to catch Teddy. He grinned at her and went back to play with the teenager. Hermione smiled in return. She could see the tooth buds emerging from Jon's gums. It was now just a matter of days, probably a week when he would become fussier, while his teeth begun to grow. Luckily, there were useful spells and toys that would help him to overcome those upcoming difficult weeks.

Hermione was cut from her musing, when Jon laughed in delight, as Teddy tickled him mercilessly on the ground. She joined in the laugher and their game by rescuing Jon, so that both could begin their own tickle war with Teddy.

Hermione knew that she would cherish these moments forever and hoped that she would be able to have more of such beautiful days in the future.

* * *

**12****th**** September 2011, Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

Whenever the special team went out to get the supplies, Walter and Hermione would try to busy themselves by organizing the labs supply room. The General deemed it for the best that both scientists weren't there to follow up the mission, even though, it would have helped to get the correct supplies. Especially, since several team members wore a camera over their helm. He reasoned that the presence of them both, would distract the specialists and the team leader of the group. Another thing, Seth, Walter's son, mentioned is that the General didn't want Hermione and Walter to witness a possible failure of the mission. The failure of a mission might mean that the soldiers, who risked their lives to bring them much needed supplied, died.

The thought that these group of soldiers, or even one man of them could die on one of those missions, made her feel guilty and just terrible.

It was maddening. Especially on this specific supply run.

Daniel Hale, the wizard muggle soldier and Seth Harris were the ones to obtain the supplies they needed and the few remaining places they hadn't been raided, were universities. Walter was a mess.

He kept looking at the clock every few minutes, while he organized and re-organized the same shelf over and over again. Hermione had tried to distract him, with theories on the possible approaches on NOVA, but it was of little help.

_"Dr. Harris? Dr. Granger? Are you there? Over?" _a familiar voice spoke through the military microphone.

Walter immediately rushed towards the device and grabbed it hastily.

"Yes, yes. We are here. Is… is my son well?" he asked nervously and Hermione noted that he was shaking as well, but still added, "Over."

_"Yes, sir. Captain Harris is well, but we need you both at the Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital. There was an incident during the mission and your assistance will be required. Someone will come to pick you up soon. Over."_

Hermione recognized the speaker to be the IT Specialist Matt Wilson. After Walter confirmed that they would be ready, both put the more unstable and sensitive supplies safely away. Even though it was a relief for Walter that his son was safe, it was still nerve wrecking to wait to hear the news of their supply hunt.

Just as they were about to leave the lab, Harry and Duncan McGonagall walked into the building.

"Harry!" Hermione called out, as soon as she noticed him and asked, "What's going on? We were just told that there was an incident, which requires our attention at the hospital."

Walter joined Hermione and stood next, as Harry begun to explain, "The mission went as planned. Well, at first that is. The team went to the university to get the chemistry supplies, as you know, when they came across a group of survivors. A physics scientists assistant, several students and three children; over all, around nine people. The team evacuated them and they are coming back here."

Hermione sighed in relief, as did Walter next to her.

"Things got bad, as they planned to leave the building. A group of undead, came almost out of nowhere and surrounded them. We still don't know how they got there. Maybe they missed clearing out an area? Who knows? It was a pretty close call; especially, with all the civilians. Just when they were about to get the situation under control, one of those things fell over a soldier, and bit him on his arm, before anyone could react."

Hermione gasped in horror and Walter looked deathly pale.

"They followed the new protocol, and immediately cut off the limb, then took the first aid measures to treat him. The soldier is still alive from what we know and should arrive, with everyone else in half an hour. The General wants you there to make sure that he won't turn."

"Did they do it in the given timeframe?" Walter asked worriedly.

Harry looked at Duncan for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know. It…everything went on so fast. We could barely see anything."

Hermione nodded silently, before she turned to Walter and both began right away to list the supplies and devices they would need for the hemogram and other tests. Harry and Duncan went to help them by carrying the boxes around, which Hermione and Walter filled up with the equipments and supplies they would need to test blood and tissue samples.

As soon as they got everything they needed, they went on their way to the hospital.

Duncan's walkie made a stasis sound, just as a voice spoke through it, _"Private McGonagall, require status. Over."_

"Private McGonagall here. Driving to the hospital with Agent Potter, Dr. Harris and Dr. Granger. Be there in five. Over."

_"Copy that, Private McGonagall. Team Delta just arrived back at the base and heading towards the hospital. Dr. Mason expects your arrival. Over and Out!"_

No one said anything, as Duncan pushed on the accelerator and drove even faster towards the hospital. Everyone was in deep thought about their current situation. Hermione's heart was racing with anticipation, fear and worry. She had tested the theory on a magical dummy by severing the infected limb and it had worked then, but so many factors still played an important part. Did they sever the limb in time? How much did they cut off the limb over the wound? Did they do a proper first aid treatment?

Before Hermione's mind could run completely wild with all different kind of scenarios, they arrived at the hospital only to see the military car coming to a hard stop just in front of the hospital gate. They saw as the medical team rushed with a gurney towards the car and immediately, a man was put on it and carried into the building, while the doctors shouted several commands. Two other soldiers followed them inside. One of them was Walter's son.

As soon as their own car came to a halt, Hermione and Walter made their way towards the building. Harry and Duncan, Hermione noted when she glanced behind, went to the back of the car and begun to carry their equipment out. Just as Hermione was about to go back, to help them, Harry called out, "Go, Hermione. We will handle this."

"Thank you, Harry," she said gratefully and followed Walter into the building. As she passed the other soldiers, she saw all the blood on their uniforms. They looked completely shaken, pale and worried. She was instantly filled with guilt and just terrible. She just wanted to go to them and apologize for putting them in danger for needing supplies that may or may not help for their research.

She walked towards the room, where Dr. Mason was giving rash orders to his team, in order to save the man on the table. Hermione stood outside the room and watched the procedure silently. She didn't know how long she stood there, until Dr. Mason begun to say that they needed to prepare him for the OR, when suddenly a voice next to her spoke, taking her by surprise.

"No, can't do, Dr. Mason. We need to make sure that Private Martin won't be a danger to anyone," General Pierce said seriously.

"This man needs to be in the OR, sir."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Mason, I can't take the risk. You will have to do your work here."

Dr. Mason nodded stiffly before he went back and gave out orders to tell his team what they would need in order to make the surgery here in this room.

"Dr. Granger?"

Hermione swiftly looked back that General, who continued, "I want you and Dr. Harris to test his blood and see if he is infected, before they begin with the surgery. How long will it take to get the results?"

"After everything is set up, no longer than an hour, sir."

General Pierce nodded. "Good. I want you and Dr. Harris to do that now. Get me the results as soon as you have them, Dr. Granger."

Hermione nodded and walked towards the same room where Dr. Mason just went through. She gently opened the room and spoke gently, "Dr. Mason? General Pierce wants me to make a hemogram of Private Martin."

The doctor nodded, while he worked on the open wound of the arm. Private Martin was under a full narcosis and looked deathly pale.

"Anne, please extract 50ml blood of Private Martin. I'm assuming that will be enough for you, Dr. Granger. The man has lost enough blood for today."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Mason."

Hermione watched as the nurse was about to take the blood sample. "I need it closer to the wound, to have the best possible results."

The nurse looked up at the doctor who nodded silently, as he kept working on the arm.

"How… how is he?" Hermione asked gently.

"He lost too much blood, which began to affect his internal organs, but hopefully, we were faster and prevented any permanent damage."

The nurse walked towards Hermione, with a metal surgical dish, where the full needle was placed in.

"Thank you, Dr. Mason. I will inform you of the results." Hermione turned around and just when she was about to leave the room, Dr. Mason said.

"For what is worth, Dr. Granger. I really hope that yours and Dr. Harris approach work."

Hermione nodded worriedly and said, before she walked out, "Me too."

She went to find Walter, as one of the soldiers pointed out where he went and followed the lead. She saw how the soldiers, civilians adults and children were treated and examined by the medical staff. Most of them looked completely shaken and were covered in dirt. One of them, Hermione noted, was talking rapidly to the doctor, who looked quite overwhelmed at his patient. Hermione would have found this situation quite funny, if it hadn't been for the dire situation they were currently in.

She found them soon at the end of the hall. It looked like a staff meeting room, or what used to be one, as she found Walter setting up the lab with Harry, Duncan and Seth.

"Ah, my dear, there you are," Walter called out, as soon as Hermione walked into the room. "We are almost done here. Do you know what the situation is?"

"Yes. Dr. Mason is still treating Private Martin and he is hanging in there," Hermione informed him and held up the metal dish for Walter to see. "I also got a blood sample for us to analyze. General Pierce wants us to make a full blood work now."

"Good, we can begin right away, my dear. Let's do a full examination," Walter said, as he took the plate from Hermione's hand and looked at it. "Well, it isn't much, but it will do. Would you mind beginning the test with the centrifugation, my dear? I will work on the basic examination meanwhile."

"Yes, of course."

Both went to work immediately and did a full screening of the blood sample they had. She barely paid attention to her surroundings, and only said something whenever she needed to direct Harry or the others with their lab supplies.

Hermione had just finished her own trial of tests and moved the computer towards Walter and showed him the results. "The chemical analyses didn't show any trace of the prion—other than high levels of amino acid from the molecular structure breaking down."

Walter smiled widely at the news and stated, "It worked, my dear."

Hermione nodded, feeling hopeful that the approach could have worked.

"We would still need to do another round of tests, to make sure that we didn't miss anything. We need to be sure there weren't any traces left behind." Hermione couldn't suppress her smile any longer at the possibility that they found a way to save people and said "But it looks like it worked."

Walter clapped his hand once and stood up excitingly. "Come my dear let's give the good news to the people."

Hermione stood up and followed Walter out of the room, down the hall. The closer they got to the emergency area, the more soldiers and other people waited for the more information. As soon as Hermione and Walter walked closer, the soldiers stood up and made room for them to walk towards the General, who was talking with several Sergeants. Hermione glanced back at the closed door of the control room.

"Dr. Harris, Dr. Granger, do you have the results?" General Pierce went straight to the point.

Walter nodded and replied quickly, "We did a full screening of the blood samples and everything came out clear. There was no active Z-Prion in the blood. As far as we know, Mr Martin isn't infected. To be absolutely sure, Dr. Granger and I will need to make regular blood tests, but we are optimistic that Mr Martin isn't infected."

A collective sigh of relief went through the room. People looked surprised, elated and happy that their friend wouldn't become one of the infected.

"When would you be absolutely sure that Private Martin isn't infected?"

Walter and Hermione looked at each other, before Hermione replied, "The longest known timespan between infection and death have been several hours until death. That gives us a timescale for how fast the infection propagates. Since the prion multiplies exponentially, any trace that got through before the amputation would need at most a few times that to establish the infection. I think it would be safe to say that, if his blood results don't show any infection after 24 hours that Mr Martin won't have the risk to be turned. We will take regular blood samples and do the same tests every two hours."

General Pierce looked relieved at the information. The news changed the atmosphere in the hospital drastically.

"Excuse me?" a voice spoke up from behind them. Hermione and Walter turned quickly around and saw a man, on the average look, around Hermione's age and with a quite outdated hairstyle, which strangely reminded Hermione of Elvis Presley haircut, only with a longer back hair. Behind him stood Walter's son.

"Yes?" Walter responded.

"During our evacuation from the university, I had witnessed the amputation of the soldier. I deducted that this procedure was to ensure the survival of the man, who got exposed to the infection. While the soldiers did the first aid on the man, I took upon the task to safeguard the infected object," the man said in an almost monotonous voice.

Hermione and Walter looked at each other in surprise, before they returned their eyes on the man before them. Hermione clarified, to make sure she understood everything clearly, "You're saying that you have brought back the severed arm? How?"

"I placed the object in a double reinforced hermetically-sealed bag along with a chemical bath that undergoes and endothermic reaction—essentially a giant instant cold pack to keep it cold."

Hermione and Walter looked with open mouth and shock written all over their faces at the strange man, while everyone else, who had listened on the conversation, looked just confused.

"Are… are you telling us, that you have the infected arm, preserved it in a plastic bag, kept it cool and have it with you?" Hermione could barely believe her own words, as she looked at the man. By now, everyone else began to understand what the strange man had said.

Wordlessly, the man help up the sealed dark blue backpack towards Hermione.

"Affirmative. I took the opinion that the scientists, who are in charge of the disease research, which I believe would be held here, within the military, would need of this evidence for their studies."

"I… thank you. Thank you!" Walter spoke, his voice filled with gratitude, and took the bag from the man, before he asked, "What's your name, son?"

"Eugene Porter."

* * *

**14****th**** September 2011, Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

"It's been 48 hours since we took the first sample and it still doesn't show any signs of the Z-Prion in his blood. We can officially confirm that Mr Martin isn't infected, nor does he harbor a risk for anyone else," Hermione said with a smile to Walter, as soon as she finished her set of testing.

It was also a good thing that the soldier had woken up a few hours later, after he had been operated on. So far he hadn't shown any signs of fever, infection of the amputation in an unsterilized area or any other signs of infection. But still, General Pierce wouldn't take the risk and made sure that the patient was detained on the bed, with two heavy armed soldiers stationed inside the hospital room and three more outside the room. Luckily, Private Martin wasn't against the added security. On the contrary, he used the opportunity to talk and gossip, with the men and woman, as Walter put it. The more time passed, without any signs of dying or fever, the more people began to relax and hope that this approach had truly worked.

"This is fantastic news, my dear. Do you want to come with me to inform the General?" Walter exclaimed with a grin at Hermione and stood up.

Hermione smiled at and shook her head. "No, you tell them the good news, Walter. I will stay behind and work on the limb. I want to begin the preparation for our dissection and the approach we need to do, in order to collect the information. I want to minimize any mistakes on our part and therefore want to plan ahead on how to do this."

Since Hermione and Walter got the infected arm, delivered by one of the rescued civilians, they had put it immediately in the lab fridge and cooled it down, preventing if from further decomposition of the limb.

Walter nodded stood up and gathered the papers of the blood results.

"That's a good idea. Maybe we will be so lucky and find the prion in a transitional state. Hopefully, it will show us on the tissue sample, how the prion turns the mutated receptor on the peripheral neurons into copies of itself, since our synthesized experiment of the prion with an uninfected blood sample by itself didn't give us much information."

That had been the initial problem for Walter and Hermione in their research to find the key factor on how to approach and create the NOVA serum effectively. It was much trickier to work with the tissue samples with nerve cells that they needed to use as opposed to simple blood samples.

"It shouldn't take longer than an hour, my dear. Then we can go over the approach and begin our dissection, my dear."

Hermione smiled at the elderly man as he made his way out of their warehouse lab.

"I will see you later, Walter."

She watched as he closed the door behind himself. A few minutes later, after she heard the call driving off, she walked towards the door and opened it, and was greeted by Duncan McGonagall, who took today's shift of security.

"Duncan, I will begin with my magical analyses on the arm. Could you please warn me if Walter or someone else intends to get here? I would really appreciate it."

Duncan nodded and said, "Of course, Hermione."

"Thank you," replied Hermione with a smile and walked back into the lab. Even though Duncan would watch out for any disturbance, Hermione still cast a strong Muggle Repelling Spell around the area she would be working. After everything was prepared for her magical analyses, which would show her how the prion spread and how much of the area it had infected. For now, it would be more of a superficial observation, basic facts that would help her understand how and where it infected exactly. Maybe if she had time, she would be able to extract some of the prion in it's turning point.

Hermione began to cast the first row of spells on the infected arm and document the information she achieved.

* * *

**19****th**** October 2011**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

Harry stood next to her and Walter, as they watched Specialist Matt Wilson, the Information Technology Specialist at the base, introduce and show around Eugene Porter, who had turned out to be an Assistance Professor of Engineering at the university, and knew everything about energy efficiency, conservation, electric repairs and construction. The General immediately put him in the task to familiarize himself around the base with the help of Specialist Wilson, and from what Hermione was told by Harry, he would be tasked to build and maintain the renewable energy around the base. He even came up with a better way to produce energy and save it up.

"I don't understand half of the things he speaks, is it even a language?" Harry said next to Hermione, as they listened to the things he said to the Specialist. "I wouldn't be shocked if half of the words he speaks are completely made up."

"Possible. Maybe he had a neurological trauma to his temporal lobe or had an overdose of stimulation, which could have affected the hippocampus of the cortex. It would explain his behavior."

Harry looked at Walter with open mouth disbelief, before he turned to Hermione. "He just made some words up, didn't he?"

Hermione shook her head at the both of them and tried very hard not to laugh at those two. Walter wasn't so restrained and snickered openly at Harry's reaction, while he ate his candy.

Harry and Walter bickered back and forth about anything, while they waited for Eugene and Matt to finish their work. Hermione noted that Eugene kept glancing at them whenever he could. She didn't think much of it, until Harry pointed it out.

"I think someone has a crush on you," Harry pointed out with an amused grin.

Hermione's eyes widened and turned swiftly towards Harry.

"What?" she almost shrieked at his words.

Walter immediately joined Harry's teasing words, "Well, it does look that way, my dear and who wouldn't be interested in you. You are young, in a fertile age, which spikes the interest of many young men, and on top of that, you fill out all the characters that are valued by young men. The only drawback would be that some men can be quite intimidated by a smart and successful woman, but in my opinion these are simply weak men. Now that I mention it, I am quite surprised that you don't have many more suitors around here. Say Harry, do you think that the General has something to do with it? Interfering in the love life of our Hermione?"

Hermione didn't know what to say or react, as she watched speechlessly as Walter and Harry conspired about Hermione's non-existing love life and the possible involvement of General Pierce, as they had put it.

Harry immediately supported the theory, as he pointed out that he knew several people to have asked him about Hermione, the things she liked and enjoyed. Walter grinned when Harry supported his theory.

"My dear, if my son wouldn't be involved with his girlfriend, I am sure that my son would have asked you out, even if I have to point him in the right direction. You would have made a lovely couple. You and I would work on the serum, and afterwards my son would make a romantic dinner or night." Walter smiled openly at Hermione, while Harry sniggered shamelessly at Hermione's growing blush.

"I… I…" Hermione stuttered.

"You must know, my dear, I was quite the ladies man. A romanticist to the bone. I believe it is a Harris family trait," Walter said, thinking about something, while Hermione opened and closed her mouth, at loss for words.

"Say, my dear, since you are specialized in Genetic Engineering, do you believe that several domineering characteristics, such as the romantic nature in the Harris family, which isn't a scientific proven fact, I know, but theoretically speaking, if such a gene exists, do you think it could be a specific genetic code?" Walter asked Hermione and waited for her to say something, while he took another bite of his candy.

Hermione eyed the candy in Walter's hand and then the man itself, before she frowned deeply.

"Walter, how many candies did you eat?" Hermione asked instead of answering his bizarre question, while she tried to calm herself down.

"Oh, this," Walter said, looking down at the half eaten candy, before he looked up at grinned at Hermione. "My son brought a box of my favorite candy. He is very thoughtful and can be quite the gentleman. Just imagine how thoughtful and romantic he would be if he was together with you."

Harry only laughed harder at the display and Hermione could feel her face burning by now.

"Walter!" Hermione huffed in distress, "I think you had enough candy for today, don't you think."

Before he could say anything, Hermione took the candy from his hand, grabbed the large half empty box, and glared at the elderly man, whose face dropped dramatically at the loss of his candy.

"I will store them for you, until you come down from your sugar rush, Walter. And stop pairing me off to your son. He is already in a happy relationship."

"Oh. Right," Walter said with a little frown, before he smiled widely at Hermione, "But if he wasn't, I will make sure that he asks you out, my dear. Don't worry."

"I… Walter!"

"Hey Dad," came a voice from the entrance door, which she knew all too well. "I brought you some coffee from the kitchen, the one you like."

Walter only grinned further to Hermione, who couldn't even look at the newcomer. Walter leaned closer and whispered a little too loud, "See, he is such a thoughtful, charming boy. A true gentleman. Just imagine being with him and in no time you would be family, my dear. Not that you think that you aren't already considered as a family. But being with him, you would be official a family member. A Harris. Dr. Granger-Harris. It does has a ring to it."

Hermione's mouth dropped in disbelief, as Walter stood up, patted Hermione's hand gently, took his candy and walked towards his son.

"Seth, my boy! You are a godsend. I was just talking with dear charming Hermione about you."

Harry begun to openly laugh at the scene.

Hermione instantly walked away from the group, grabbed some papers, her bag and walked towards the exit, not able to look at anyone in the face.

"I…I.. Forgot something… need to finish it. Will come back later…after I finish it," Hermione babbled out and left the building, as fast as possible.

* * *

**30****th**** October 2011**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

Everything was silent in the lab, except for the working machines and running computer, while Hermione prepared the highly contagious cells extracted from the infected arm with specially tagged enzymes to induce gene expression, hoping that she would have better luck at inducing them to produce the whole Z-Virus that had imbedded its genetic code into the host's nucleus than she did with healthy cells. In both cases, the cells only produced the mutated protein in either an active or inactive state, but there had to be a way to make them rebuild the complete retrovirus for it to have spread around the world in the first place

Walter had gone to bed, two hours ago, but Hermione couldn't bring herself to do the same. Walter and Hermione theorized that by simply curing the damage of the mutated protein in the body, the prion would still kill the victim like all the other animals did. What they needed was to find a way to make the prion ineffective in the human body and not deadly, and for that, they needed to understand the virus that produced it.

Hermione yawned and blinked a few times, before she looked up at the watch and noted that it was already three in the morning. She sighed deeply and knew that she would have to stop eventually, before she made an accident or mistakes that bore consequences for their work.

Hermione held her breath as she completed the final step of her test on the cell culture—adding a fluorescent tag that would stick to only the mutated gene, showing if there were any extra copies of it floating around. An optical microscope was the fastest way to see this. She prepared a slide and observed it under an ultraviolet lamp.

What she saw was almost a completely different cell culture. These cells weren't reanimated. They were dying, in the very familiar pattern of a viral infection. The fluorescent dye lit up the nuclei, where the gene was normally housed, but it also lit up many dots where extra copies were floating in the cytoplasm—whole viral particles.

Hermione carefully placed the slide back in a quarantine chamber, with a stasis charm, put away all her magical devices and ensured that the sample was safe, before she left the lab. A muggle soldier stood outside the building and upon seeing her, he addressed her formally. She told him quickly that she was going to Walter's place and would be back in a few minutes. Since Walter lived in the same building, which was only a few minutes walk away, she refused the escort.

Hermione rushed towards the building and knocked gently at the door, and called out Walter's name several time. She hoped that she hadn't woken anyone up, but unfortunately, it wasn't so and to her dismay, the door next to Walter's opened, and his son, Seth stood sleepily, with disheveled hair, in boxer shorts and topless, which showed his absolute perfectly shaped chest. Hermione blushed furiously at the view, especially remembering the teasing Walter and Harry did two weeks ago and for some reason they still kept doing it.

"Hermione? Is everything ok?" Seth asked, as he began to wake up.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Seth," Hermione said and tried to focus on his face, instead of his body. "I have a break though and need Walter in the lab immediately."

Seth nodded, "Well, my dad can sleep through anything. Fortunately for you, I have the key's to his apartment. Just give me a sec."

Hermione nodded and waited. A moment later, Seth walked out, still in only shorts and gave her a lopsided smile, which only made her blush further, as he walked inside Walter's place. The logical side of er mind wondered if he wasn't freezing, since the days were getting cooler now, not that she minded the view.

Hermione shook her head at her own uncharacteristic thoughts, probably caused by the lack of sleep and muttered to herself, "Merlin, I'm turning into a hormonal teenager."

"Hermione?" Walter's voice caught her attention, as he stood at his door in his morning coat. "Is everything alright?"

Hermione couldn't stop her smile, as she faced Walter. Not even his son, who stood behind Walter, could distract Hermione this time, as she informed him, "I did it, Walter. I isolated the retrovirus."

* * *

**31****st**** October 2011**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Harry**

Halloween was the day of the year, Harry would never come to enjoy. Not even after Voldemort's demise did he find pleasure in the holiday. Too many bad memories had been made on these days. It became more difficult when Teddy became more aware of the holiday and wanted to participate in it. He thanked Merlin that he had Hermione and Ron at that time, who gave Teddy what he needed. Dressing him up, from pumpkin, werewolf, various superheroes, and once even as Harry Potter, which had been everyone's favorite. He had to smile at the memory.

It had been Ron's idea to go as Harry Potter on Halloween. He had dug out his first year pictures of Hogwarts and Teddy had changed his appearance to look like an eleven year old boy, even though he had been nine at that time. He remembered quite clearly, how he had stood before his son, quite shocked and with wide eyes, thinking for a moment if he was dreaming and seeing his younger self. It had been the most hilarious and the handful of good experience of Halloween for Harry.

He shook himself out of the memory and went back to his work. It went unsaid that this particular holiday wouldn't be celebrated this year. Not after they had their own never ending horror show, just right outside these walls. He was one of the people in charge of the security on the base. Unknowing to the General and the Sergeants, Harry with help of the two other wizards, had cast several protection wards and carved invisible runes around the fences and walls of the base, which would make them stronger and more withstanding against attacks or time and weather forces.

His thoughts were interrupted when suddenly the two wizards, Duncan McGonagall and Daniel Hale, came towards Harry. Upon seeing their grim and pale faces, he knew that something was wrong. He excused himself and closed the distance between them.

"What's wrong?" Harry immediately asked, as soon as he was close to them.

"My wife, she was listening to the Wireless Radio and," Duncan paused and tried to stay calm, as he continued, "there has been an outbreak in Hogwarts, today. Apparently they have the situation under control, but didn't say how great the damage and casualties were. We… I would be grateful, if we could call my aunt through your mirror. She isn't picking up from mine. Maybe she forgot it somewhere and since your mirror is connected with other people-"

"Yes, of course!" Harry cut in and cursed under his breath, "Merlin! I just need a minute, to give them some excuse to leave. We need to tell Hermione about it."

"I will go ahead and inform her," Daniel spoke up and left swiftly.

Harry could feel himself shake at the thought of the outbreak in Hogwarts. To think that so many children had been at the center of an outbreak that Teddy could have been among this attack…terrified him. He could only imagine the horror the parents of the children must feel, hearing that their children had been in danger. He could barely remember the excuse he gave Ford, something about Teddy being sick or something, before he hurriedly left with Duncan.

He rushed to his flat and was met by a very pale anxious Hermione. They went into Harry's apartment and as soon as the door was closed, Hermione placed several spells around the room, to ensure their privacy. Luckily, Teddy and Jon were staying with Duncan's wife at his home.

Harry didn't say anything, as he grabbed his mirror and begun to call at first the Headmistress, but just as Duncan said, no one picked up the mirror. Next, he called Arthur's mirror and sighed in relief as soon as the mirror opened and a rather pale and shaken Arthur answered the call.

"Arthur!" Harry exclaimed in relief. "We heard about the outbreak in Hogwarts. What happened? Where is Professor McGonagall? Is everyone ok?"

_"It has been terrible. Terrible indeed."_ Arthur shook his head in distress. They could hear the loud commotion in the background. Children were crying or shouting at something.

_"Minerva is alright. It was close, but she is fine. Merlin, it could have ended in a disaster had someone acted the wrong way." _

"What happened, Arthur?" Harry asked again a little impatiently.

"_Everything seemed like any other day and after breakfast the children headed off to their classes. The forth years headed to the potion lab and… they went into the class when they saw Horace turning into one of the things. Thank the Gods, a few children were smart enough to get everyone out, while holding off Horace. I don't even want to imagine the scenario, if they hadn't reacted that way. But… but one of the children… I don't know exactly how it happened, but she pushed someone out of the way, when Horace was about to bite the child, and by doing so, she got bitten." _

Hermione gasped in horror at the information.

Arthur's eyes filled with tears, as he continued, _"We were too late when we reached the lab. Two of her friends, tried to get her out of Horace's clutches, but it was no use. Even with their spell casting, which wasn't strong enough, especially under such duress… they couldn't free their friend. They watched her be being eaten by… by that thing. I've.. I've never seen something so…" _Arthur shook his head and brushed a few tears away,_ "Never seen something this horrible. The wound on the child was too severe. We couldn't cut off the limb to save her. She was barely alive and… and in so much pain. We tried to ease her pain, as much as we could, but she lost too much blood and… after she died, Minerva, she… she made sure that the Jennifer, that was her name, wouldn't turn. Merlin, she was only fourteen years old." _

Harry was completely shocked at the news. The other wizards were completely pale and shaken and Hermione was silently crying in the back.

"How did this happen? No undead could have entered the castle," Duncan asked next to Harry.

Arthur shook his head and said, _"Minerva and Poppy examined the Horace's body, after we… killed him, and we didn't find any injuries or bite wounds on the body that could indicate any infection. Poppy believes that he had died naturally in his sleep and must have turned afterwards. His sleeping quarters were right behind the classroom. Merlin! It could have been worse. If one of the younger classes had potions this morning…"_ Arthur cut himself off and shook firmly his head, as if to erase the horrible thought.

"Where is my Aunt, Mr Weasley?" Duncan asked after a moment.

_"Minerva cancelled every class for today and got everyone into the great hall, while the ones that were closely involved are in the infirmary to make sure that they weren't otherwise injured and to console them. Molly is with them as well. Minerva plans to put new safety protocol, as soon as she returns." _

Harry gave the mirror to Duncan and let them both talk, while he walked towards a distraught Hermione and pulled her into his arms, and let her cry.

"Merlin, I hate Halloween," Harry muttered quietly to himself.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked it! :)


	13. Chapter 12 - NOVA-137

A/N: I want to thank everyone, who took the time to leave a review to the previous chapter. It's always a delight to hear your opinion. It is also amazing to see how many people have put this story on their favorite and following list. Thank you all!

I also want to thank White Squirrel, who revised the scientific part of this story and uoduck for beta reading this chapter. Thank you both so much!

* * *

**Chapter 12 - NOVA-137**

* * *

**7****th**** January 2012**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Harry **

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Jonny. Happy Birthday to you!" Everyone cheered at the birthday boy, while Hermione placed the birthday cake, which the kitchen chef made for him. It was a chocolate chip vanilla cake which was every child's favorite flavored cake, according to Teddy.

Hermione's apartment was filled with guests such as, Walter, his son and girlfriend had come, as well as the Daniel Hale, his wife and newborn son, and Duncan McGonagall with his family. The whole living room was completely decorated like a 1st year birthday party should look like. Even a birthday banner was hung up on the wall and below it was a table filled presents, mostly wrapped in old paper or newspaper. Many families on the base had given away their older children clothes, which didn't fit their own kids anymore or old toys, or even soldiers who had brought back a plush teddy. It was quite surprising and touching for Hermione and Harry to see how much everyone cared. Another stack of gifts were send from their friends back in England. They were colorfully packaged and had probably magical toys in them. They were hidden in Hermione's bedroom and would be unpacked when Walter, son and his muggle companion left.

Harry stood a little further away from the table, in where Jon sat in his baby chair. Harry had appointed himself with the task of taking the birthday pictures, which he took with a magical camera that appeared to be a simple muggle one.

Everyone laughed at Jon as he reached to grab the cake with his hands and managed to get a little chocolate on his hand. After the first mishap, Hermione was able to prevent any more chocolate covered hands.

"Mama!" Jon squealed happily and put his chocolate covered fingers into his mouth, smearing all the cream around his cheek and mouth.

Hermione stopped her gentle scolding and her face lit up at Jon's word. Harry still remembered Hermione's surprised face the day she came back from a long night and morning from the lab to pick up Teddy. He had stretched out his arms towards Hermione and called her 'Mama' with a big smile. It had taken Hermione a moment to comprehend Jon's word, but then, after she finally registered what he had said, she had picked him up and hugged him tightly, with a few tears in her eyes.

That had been almost two months ago. Harry and Teddy had secretly taught Jon to call Hermione Mama, by showing him a magical picture of Hermione. It had taken a while for them to get Jon to say it. Hermione was reluctant about placing herself in the position of Jon's mother as she hadn't wanted to disrespect Jon's biological mother. But Harry thought differently. She was by all means Jon's mother, even if she hadn't given birth to him.

Harry's musing was cut short as Hermione encouraged Jon to blow out the candle, which he did together with Hermione. Harry shot another picture and saved the moment on the camera. A rare beautiful day.

Harry secretly wished that they would become more often in the future.

* * *

**20****th**** February 2012**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

The magical feather on her private journal waited for Hermione's next word, while she examined the electron microscope screen. With a frantic beating heart, she scoured the image to see the reaction of the latest version of the NOVA serum antibodies in the cell culture with the Z-Prion. Each cell culture was a tiny tissue sample containing both healthy neurons, and white blood cells to test the immune response to the serum. When she introduced the prion, it would attack the neurons very quickly, turning them into infected cells. Walter and Hermione had to find a way to make the white cells attack it even faster.

If they could induce the immune system to respond to the infection fast enough, it would eliminate the Z-Prion from the body and prevent the mutated neuroreceptor from turning into more of it. That was only the first part of the cure, but it was the most difficult and least understood. It had taken weeks of reading up on the primitive field of prion diseases and a little discreet magic to help point her in the right direction to even attempt at a solution to the problem.

After doing preliminary tests of different methods, she decided that their best bet would be to engineer an antibody that would tag only the Z-Prion and not the inactive mutated protein. If she could do that, she could incorporate it into the third component of the cure, the vaccine for the retrovirus—she hoped. Because of the nature of the prion, she had to be very careful to ensure that the vaccine itself wasn't infectious.

The middle step of the cure, repairing the mutation in their DNA, turned out to be surprisingly easy. On closer inspection, she and Walter realized that the Z-Virus inserted its own copy that overrode the normal copy of the gene coding for the neuroreceptor in question, but didn't actually _overwrite_ it. That meant that injecting a formula containing a small chunk of single-stranded DNA just a few dozen base pairs long, along with a few enzymes, could knock out the gene and permanently deactivate it.

Unfortunately, that wasn't a complete solution, since the mutated protein would still be there in the body and would be for a while, ready to turn them if they were bitten. Also, there was nothing to stop the patient from being reinfected with the Z-Virus and having their DNA mutated again. And they still didn't know how the viral infection was transmitted in the first place. The second problem merely required a vaccine, but the first was a greater problem.

Combine the vaccine and the DNA serum, two in one, and they would have a complete cure. But at the moment, it looked like that would be a long time in coming, as another serum trial failed. The antibodies bound themselves to the prion, but they also bound themselves to the healthy neurons, causing the white cells to attack them both, which would kill the victim just the same.

Hermione sighed and began to dictate her findings. Fortunately, Walter had called it a night, which left Hermione alone in the lab. She would leave him a copy of her notes for Walter to read in the morning.

"The NOVA-29 trial failed. The antibodies were too indiscriminate to tag only the active prion form of the protein. The immune cells destroyed the prion but also destroyed the nerve cells it infected, making the serum unsuitable for use in a live subject. Likely results: in a healthy subject, a fatal autoimmune attack on the brain and nervous system, albeit without reanimation. In undead subjects, it would likely stop them, but the bodies would remain hazardous to touch. Recommendation…well, another redesign of the antigen-bind site on the antibodies. I don't think there's much else we can do."

Hermione rubbed her forehead tiredly and began to list off the possible new approaches, which they would need to look further and create another batch of NOVA.

* * *

**23****rd**** February 2012**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Harry **

It was finally quiet in Harry's apartment. Teddy went to bed after Harry practiced the Patronus spell with him. It was very difficult for him, but he was able to produce a white light so far and with enough hard work, he was sure that Teddy could create one in a few months.

Jon had stayed with Harry as well, since Hermione had another long shift at the lab. It became a normal occurrence and Jon didn't mind it, most of the time. Harry, on the other hand, worried about her, especially, when she worked too long, but he knew it was important. The only way he could help her was to support her as much as he could, by taking care of Jon and Teddy and making sure that she took regular breaks and showed up during their dinner meals.

He sighed tiredly at the situation. He wondered for the umpteenth time when this nightmare would end. He was certain that things wouldn't turn back to normal, as soon as Hermione and Walter found a cure, but it would be a turning point, where they would begin to clean up and rebuilt their world. It would probably take years, maybe even decades after the cure had been created and distributed.

Just yesterday, they had lost almost a whole troop of soldiers to a group of humans. Crazy, dangerous muggles, with lots of guns and ammunition. He had heard rumors of it through the Wireless Radio that various muggle groups attacked other humans for food, guns or shelter. This also happened in the magical world. But fortunately, Kingsley was able to prevent any great damage of those radical groups before they could become a greater threat. This was not to be said in other parts of the magical world. Bulgaria and Russia were beginning to lose the order and control of their own magical worlds. Dangerous groups had begun to establish in those areas, and the Wireless warned anyone of certain areas.

Harry was grateful for the well thought out concept of the new Wireless Network and the LifeWatch program. It broadcast all the time by now and with a spell that was created by a Canadian Wizard that enabled an automatic translation into the listener's language. Numerous useful spells have been shared through the network. They included protection spells against the undead, a scent cloaking spell, and the most useful of the spells, in Harry's opinion, was the new version of the _Homenum Revelio_ charm, called_ Vivera Mortis Revelio._ It was an undead presence revealing spell that could reveal any undead in the casted area. Compared with the human revealing charm, the newly invented one was a bit more complicated to cast, but quite effective. Just last week, Harry and Daniel Hale had secretly cast the spell and reduced any danger to the group. They simply stated that they had heard or saw movements where the undead had been located.

With a last glance towards the silent bedroom, Harry cast a silencing spell around his apartment, to make sure that any outsider wouldn't be able to hear the Wireless Radio, then he turned it on and listened to the current magical situation.

* * *

**14****th**** March 2012**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

"The NOVA-78 test trial failed." Walter spoke up next to Hermione, while she wrote everything down. "The antibodies of the NOVA-78 serum correctly bound to only the Z-Prion, but the inactivated prion we added to the vaccine wasn't as inactivated as we'd hoped. It still triggered an infection in the cell culture. I suggest we take a more aggressive approach on the inactivation with anti-prion enzymes combined with mass fragment separation to include only fragments of the prion containing the antibody binding site."

"I think that would be the best approach," Hermione agreed and documented everything, before they would begin on NOVA-79.

* * *

**18****th**** April 2012**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Harry **

"Look at you!" Molly cooed over the magical mirror to Teddy. "You became so tall and handsome. I feel like it was yesterday when you were still a little baby, with your blue hair. And now you've turned 14."

Teddy blushed at Molly's words while he scratched his blue hair in embarrassment. Hermione and Harry chuckled in the background at the display. If there was one thing they knew about Molly was that nothing would change her coddling attitude towards children. So it had been a very good thing that she was at Hogwarts, helping children going through the hard time.

He shook his head at his own thoughts. He didn't want to think of the bad things of the reality today. He just wanted to enjoy Teddy's birthday and have a nice day. The guests had already left, after they celebrated a bit with cake and gifts. Now, he would spend some time talking with his family and friends from England.

Jon was walking around more often and only stopped when he was beginning to tire. He rushed to Harry and Hermione, carrying all sorts of things back and forth and giving it to both of them. He even brought some of his findings to Teddy whenever his eyes caught him. Now, he made a beeline to Hermione, holding in his hand a magically charmed gift wrapping paper.

"Mama!" Jon said and gave her the Quiddich animated gift wrapping-paper.

"Thank you, love," Hermione said and bent down to kiss him, which made him smile more brightly.

His eyes must have caught Teddy with the mirror in his hand, because the next thing he did was squeal Teddy's name, which sounded more like 'daddy' and ran towards the teenager, who in return had turned the mirror towards the toddler. Upon seeing Molly, Jon called out in delight, "Nana!", and Molly began to happily speak with the two of them.

Harry still remembered the moment Jon had called him, 'dada', just a months ago. It had completely taken him by surprise. Especially, since no one had taught Jon to address or even see him that way, not that Harry wasn't already considering Jon as another son. Hermione suspected that Jon had simply overheard Teddy addressing him as dad and imitated him as well, and for all means, Hermione had said, he was Jon's dad, just as she was his mum.

Harry put his arm around Hermione's shoulder and watched their children speak with their honorary grandmother and other family members over the mirror. It was their own little perfectly imperfect makeshift family.

* * *

**20****th**** March 2012**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

It was another night alone in the lab, as Hermione finished the next trial on NOVA. The vaccine was now working more or less correctly in principle, but they still weren't getting a good enough immune response. They couldn't afford to make this like a flu vaccine where it was only 85% effective, and they could rely on herd immunity for the rest. The Z-Prion was an invariably fatal disease, and that meant the vaccine had to be as strong as possible, or else someone who was bitten would still be at risk of death. They had set a goal of 99% effective before going to live trials.

"NOVA-103 effectiveness is approximately 93%, extrapolated from our cell cultures," Hermione dictated to her magical feather, which wrote it down into her notebook. She would duplicate her report for Walter, like usual, as soon as she finished. The extra antigens and enzymes to stimulate T-cell activity are working, just not well enough yet. The immune response appears to be fast enough to respond to the infection. I think we need to back up and see what we can do to get the B-cells to produce more antibodies."

They were very close in finding an effective NOVA serum, which made Hermione and Walter work even longer hours in the lab. By now, there was always someone at the lab, at the oddest hours and she knew that this wouldn't change until they finally succeeded with the NOVA serum.

* * *

**2****nd**** May 2012**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Harry **

"So, let me get this straight," Harry said, after he let the words sink. "The computers are down because there is an energy problem?"

He wasn't sure he understood anything, Eugene Porter tried to explain. It was like he talked in a different language, something cryptic, with some basic English words and still it felt completely foreign to him.

"And please explain to me in very simple words, what's going on with the computers and why Hermione and Walter can't save anything or use certain programs on their computer?" Harry added a little frustrated. "I've seen their own computers running in the lab, but they are currently working in there without using them because they say something's down—the "cluster" is down or something. They are currently working in the lab without the help of any computers software and they are not able to save their research, and it slows everything down."

Eugene and the IT Specialist, Matt Wilson, looked at each other for a moment, before Matt explained, "Hermione and Walter haven't actually been using the computers in the lab for their research. They've been using them to connect to the cluster—the supercomputer we have down in the basement. Believe it or not, the cluster is actually the largest consumer of power we have here on the base. The work they're doing with proteins requires an extremely powerful computer. Everything they have is down there, and with our limited resources, we simply don't have enough electricity to keep it running."

"So can you fix it?" Harry asked. "In easy words?"

"There are two solutions to fix this. We increase the power level of the base," Eugene began and spoke quite slower to Harry, "or Specialist Wilson writes a new algorithm coding," at Harry's frown, Eugene explained, "a new software protocol that lets us run only part of the cluster at a time with less power. If the general cannot provide us with more electricity, that will be the only solution. We will probably need a week or two to solve the computer issues."

Harry nodded at them both, before he thanked them and left to explain Hermione and Walter about what was happening.

"Well, we will document and take down our finding the old fashioned way. Good thing that our lab equipment doesn't need a connection to the cluster. That would have made me truly upset."

"Good thing we didn't," Hermione agreed as she put a strangely shaped vial on a shaker plate and explained to Walter.

"Walter, could you please keep an eye on the flask? It's on the metabolic shaker. I should be back when it's ready to test it."

"Sure, my dear. Go. Enjoy the day," Walter smiled at her and went back to his own work.

Hermione smiled at Harry, as they walked out of the lab.

Today was the memorial day of the Battle of Hogwarts. It had been fourteen years now, since the demise of Voldemort and the war. No one had thought that after thirteen years, something more dangerous and deadlier would put the world in chaos. Both planned to hold a little memorial ceremony between them. To honor those they had lost that day. It was still a very difficult day for him. At first, he didn't want to do anything on that day, since it felt like they were still at war, still kept fighting, still trying to survive the day. A part of him felt as if it didn't matter anymore and as soon as that thought entered his mind he felt incredibly guilty about it.

Hermione had also insisted that they still needed to do it and Harry went along.

Teddy and Jon were with the McGonagall's for now and Harry would pick them up later. Usually, Harry would have gone with Teddy to the grave of his parents, but this year there wouldn't be able to do that. For a moment, Harry wondered if he would ever get a chance to visit the graves of his those he had lost, before everything had changed.

"How is the new batch going?" Harry asked not wanting to think further on that trail of thought.

"There's still a problem with the effectiveness of the serum. We have a way to repair the human DNA and eliminate the prion, but we can't seem to find a way to get the immune cells to take up the antibodies with better than 97% reliability. I _know_ they used to be able to get 99% with the measles vaccine. What we have right now, it's not effective enough."

Harry nodded as if in understanding, before he shook his head and admitted, "Sorry, can't imagine what you mean."

Hermione smiled and teased, "I don't think a more detailed terminology explanation would help?"

"No, please don't! I had Eugene and Matt talking to me in technology-alien-language and my brain still feels numb. Seriously, do they even understand half of the things they speak?"

Hermione laughed at Harry's antics and both fell into an easy chatter, until their mood would become more solemn when they would face of the day.

* * *

**4****th**** May 2012**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

Hermione pulled out the last test tube of the NOVA serum they had created today. It was the 137th experimental version of the serum and the last batch for today. Hermione prepared everything like usual, before she tested the cell cultures for the pathogen, one after the other. She yawned tiredly and stretched her arms in the air. It was already past two in the morning, but she needed to finish her work before she could find any sort of rest.

But as she reached the end of the tests, she was wide awake. Only one of their three hundred cell cultures had been infected by the Z-Prion under the influence of the NOVA-137 serum. That was an effectiveness of over 99%, at a 95% statistical confidence.

"It worked," Hermione breathed out in disbelieve. "Merlin, it really worked! It worked!"

Hermione jumped from her chair and jumped in the lab and screamed in joy. The door suddenly opened and a young muggle soldier walked in, probably to see what the commotion was about.

"Is everything ok, ma'am?"

Instead of answering him, Hermione jumped into his arms, and cheered happily, "It worked!" She kissed the surprised young soldier squarely on the mouth until her senses returned to her and she abruptly placed some distance between them, blushing at her uncharacteristic behavior.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. I… I need Walter! Now! Could you… uhm… could you please watch over the lab, I will be back in a few minutes."

The young man nodded speechlessly and followed Hermione outside the lab, while she took off towards the building. She didn't care how much she noise she made. As soon as she knocked on Walter's door, while she called out his name."

Seth's door opened next to her, "Hermione? What-"

"I need Walter, now! It's important." Hermione could barely conceal her excitement, and didn't even notice Seth's shirtless attire.

Hermione paced back and forth in front of Walter's door, and as soon as Walter showed up, she jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"Walter, we did it!" Hermione took a step back and grabbed his shoulders.

"What?" Walter looked at her perplexed, until his eyes widened in shock?

"It worked?" he asked perplexed, still a little sleepy.

"It worked, Walter! We did it!" Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "We still need to test it with various other test subjects, but NOVA-137 is 99% effective—and stable and does everything we wanted. It worked, Walter. We have a vaccine!"

Seth sucked his breath in shock, as Hermione's words finally sunk in. Even Walter was now wide awake and rejoiced with Hermione in happiness. Hermione threw herself in Walter's arm and hugged him tightly, an overwhelming feeling of relief washed over her, as she begun to cry in his arms. They were finally able to end this nightmare.

* * *

**5****th**** May 2012**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

Since the discovery of the final vaccine against the Z-Virus and Z-Prion, the atmosphere of military base had completely changed. People were elated and happy about the news and for the first time since this nightmare begun, they felt hopeful for a future again.

Harry and Walter had been working on testing the NOVA-137 serum against different reactions and endurances. So far, all the tests had come out accurately. This made General Pierce push them for an actual trial testing. Since they were unable to test the serum on animals, the General wanted them to place a trial on humans. Hermione and Walter had been against it, but he wouldn't hear anything of it.

Hermione was able to have another 24 hours to see if the serum was dangerous, before the test on the humans and only those who had volunteers of their own free will. The General thankfully gave in and accepted their terms.

With the help of Harry and Duncan, who assigned themselves for the security on the lab, she was able to cast a strong confusion and sleeping spell on Walter, while she worked on her magical dummies, created with different blood types from the muggles and magical people. This would be the closest way to ensure the safety of the human trials. She didn't want to risk the lives of the soldiers and for her own peace of mind, she needed to make sure that this NOVA-137 batch worked.

Therefore, Hermione, who had been up for at least 48 hours, began to inject the eleven magical test dummies with the NOVA-137 serum. An hour later, she took a sample of the blood and tested the status of the immune response, calculated that it would take another 4-5 hours until the body was fully immunized. While she waited, Hermione documented everything she found.

After she was certain that things finally worked she injected the Z-Prion in each and every magical dummy. The reaction was almost instant. The body broke out into a small fever and begun to sweat. It showed the same side effect like that of a Z-Prion infection and for a moment Hermione feared that they had been wrong and the NOVA-137 had failed, but a quick blood work showed that this wasn't the case. It was quite the opposite. The new stronger antibodies in the body were fighting off the prion. Like many more ordinary infections, the fever was just a normal side effect. Hermione sighed in relief and monitored the test dummies further, while she kept an eye on Walter, who was sleeping on the couch.

Hermione noted that the symptoms begun to reduce after 4-5 hours and as soon as the fever was completely gone, she took another blood sample and pulled it through various muggle and magical tests, and after 2 hours later, she could with absolute certainty confirm that NOVA-137 worked, not only on muggles but also on magical people.

With several quick spells, she vanished all trace of her magical testing and set up a normal test trial, before she woke up Walter.

* * *

**6****th**** May 2012**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione **

It was nerve wrecking for Hermione to see seven all of these men and women volunteering for a substance that has never been tested, beside the secret magical trials Hermione did, but no one besides Harry and the two other wizards knew about it. Even Walter, who usually could stay composed in difficult situations, looked visibly worried. Especially since his son was one of the volunteers. It didn't help that Harry also volunteered as well. He wanted to be the one, on the magical side to test the serum, to make sure and proof them that this vaccine did work and was safe for the magical people.

Beside Walter's son, Seth and Harry, were among those volunteers, Sergeant Abraham Ford, Private Rosita Espinosa, as well as another woman and two other soldiers, Hermione had met briefly.

Dr. Mason joined Walter and Hermione in their trial to monitor the condition and vitals of the trial members. The trial was held in an isolated area within the lab, which Hermione and Walter had cleared up previously. The lab was filled with not only the seven volunteers and Dr. Mason, but also with General Pierce, Staff Sergeant Smith, as well as two other high security level Sergeants, while outside several soldiers stood guard. Hermione knew that many of them waited to find out about their friends and if the serum was truly working.

This whole thing, with the expectation of thousands of people from the base, was a whole new level of pressure, even though Hermione was sure that NOVA-137 would work, there was still a little possibility that it could fail. The magical test dummies weren't foolproof, just a more accurate version of testing.

Walter and Hermione finished preparing the injections, and looked towards the volunteers, who were lying on medical gurneys, which had been brought in from the hospital.

"Well, here goes nothing, my dear," Walter said and walked towards his son, at the end of the isolated room area.

Hermione took a deep breath and walked towards Harry, who was the closest next to her and as soon as she reached him, she whispered so only he was able to hear her, "Are you sure, Harry? You can still refuse, if-"

"It will be fine, Hermione. I trust you," he assured Hermione with a smile. Hermione nodded in response, not able to return the smile, due to the overwhelming worry she felt. With one last glance at him, she placed the syringe against his disinfected arm and injected NOVA-137 directly into his vein.

"Now, we wait," Hermione said nervously, before she walked towards the next person on the bed.

An hour after the injections, Walter and Hermione began a complete blood screening. They repeated the procedure as soon as they finished with the previous blood tests. Dr. Mason monitored the condition of the test volunteers. So far, everything seemed normal and no extreme side effects were noted, only a few mentioned that they felt a little tired, which could also be due to the stressful day they had previously.

After five hours of constant blood screening, Walter and Hermione could finally confirm that the NOVA-137 effectively repaired the damaged DNA and thus would gradually remove the mutated protein from the body. More important, their bodies were now producing antibodies against the Z-Prion. None of the seven were the unlucky one in three hundred for whom it wouldn't take. It worked exactly as is it should have, just like it did with the magical dummies. But now would come the more difficult and dangerous part of the trial. Hermione was extremely reluctant to carry out this part and wouldn't have even though of it without proof that the vaccine was working, but General Pierce had demanded a test with the active pathogen.

Hermione and Walter followed the protocol and wore safety suits and sealed the area, with a plastic wall, which was part of the isolated area. For Dr. Mason own safety, he had to wait outside until both scientists injected the deadly prion into the volunteers. All of the volunteers were restrained, just in case something went wrong, and a squad of soldiers was stationed outside the door if that wasn't enough. They had already roughly explained what they would expect during this phase to the volunteers and the leading staff members of the military base. Thanks to Hermione's previous secret testings, she had suggested to Walter that there could be possible side effects, similar to a cold infection, where the body fights off the virus within the body. He had agreed with the logic behind her theory.

"My dear, would you mind, if you could begin from the back this time? I… I don't think I can…" Walter was unable to finish his sentence. His usually so carefree appearance, looked now shaken and terrified. He was clearly overcome with the situation, to inject his son with the most vicious pathogen the world has ever seen. Hermione could imagine how he felt, as it was quite the same feeling she had regarding Harry.

Hermione understood how he felt and rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Of course, Walter."

She took the small silver tray, filled with the Z-Prion towards her first patient, Seth. Hermione gave him a small smile, trying to downplay her own nervousness and said, "So, this is it. Are you ready, Seth?"

The soldier's face appeared composed and in control, but Hermione could see the fear in his eyes. Seth only nodded silently, unable to look at Hermione. She laid her gloved hand on his bare arm and squeezed it gently, as she tried to comfort him, "After I inject the virus in your body, you most probably will feel symptoms of a sickness, like fever and fatigue, maybe even nausea. These are things we are expecting. The body will fight against the pathogen and destroy it, which will take probably a few hours."

"You sure it will work, Hermione?" he finally spoke, with a slightly shaken voice and looked into Hermione's eyes.

She didn't look away and said with a steady voice, "It will work, Seth."

'It has to work,' Hermione thought to herself, as she placed the needle on his arm and injected him with the Z-Prion.

The first symptoms began to show around half an hour, after the initiated infection. Dr. Mason had been allowed back into the isolated area and helped monitor the patients, while Hermione and Walter ran blood tests one after another. Under the electron microscope, they could see how the new antibodies fought against the virus and the toxicological test showed the same test results, no sign of any foreign or unusual proteins.

Hermione and Walter begun to collect another batch of blood to test them. It had been three hours since the infection and as expected the first symptoms begun to show, like fever, cold shakes and tiredness. Luckily, they weren't any life-endangering side effects.

Hermione went to Captain Seth Harris first. He looked a little pale and his skin glistened with sweat, and yet, he gave her a charming half crooked smile. If Hermione hadn't been so worried about the trials and the side effects the volunteers went through, she would have definitely blushed at his attention.

"Hey Dr. Granger," she greeted her groggily. "Did I ever tell you that you look quite pretty in a white coat? Especially, when you bite your lower lip, just like that."

This time Hermione did blush at his words and tried to control her own reaction by saying, "It's the fever talking, Seth. Don't worry, it will break down soon." And before he could say anything else, Hermione placed the needle in his vein and took a vial of his blood.

"Ouch! That hurt. Don't be so aggressive, Hermione" he grimaced a little, before he grinned at her quite suggestively. "Although, I like it kinky, Hermione. Or should I call you Dr. Granger?"

Hermione blushed deeply and took her labeled needle. "Okay… I … well… see you later, Seth."

"Later, Hermione."

Sergeant Ford, who had seen the spectacle quite clearly gave Hermione a toothy grin. It had surprised her, since she had never seen the man grin, not to mention the fact a simple smile.

"This is what I call, beautiful blackmail material. Damn, wished I had my camera. You know what I'll do once the world has gotten back to normal?"

"What?" Hermione asked and took a sample of his blood.

"Go to a damn football game, eat hotdog with a really cold beer and enjoy the fucking day," he paused looked from left to right, before he leaned closer to Hermione and whispered a little too laud, "And I think I will ask Espinosa out as well. I mean she is so hot and doesn't take shit and is just a kick ass motherfucker lady."

"Alright!" Hermione said after she collected the blood and patted Sergeant Ford's arm gently. "I will see you later, Sergeant."

Confused by the sudden change in the test persons, Hermione looked at the others and noted that every one of them had a similar reaction. She shook her head and walked towards her next solider, who was already smiling quite dreamily at her. Hermione gulped a little and greeted the man, who looked to be around his late 30s, and was quite attractive, with his short cut light brown hair and quite the mesmerizing light green eyes with a dark ringed around the light color and a smile that would definitely make many woman swoon at him.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look today? I noticed you the first time I saw you here at the base, Dr. Granger."

Hermione blinked a few times before she sat next to him on the chair and prepared to take some blood from him. She tried to ignore the dreamy look he gave her and instead answered lightly.

"Really, Corporal Brady?"

"Call me Tyler. Just Tyler," he said and kept smiling at her. "And yes, I noticed you the very first day. I was one of the people who set up the lab for you and Dr. Harris. I tried to ask you out a few times actually, but I guess I was just too shy. I mean you are so… beautiful and so incredibly smart…it's so sexy."

"Corporal Brady-" Hermione tried to stop the babbling, cause by now almost everyone was looking at them.

"It's Tyler, really. Maybe I should ask you out now? I feel so good, so carefree and unrestrained."

Hermione just finished taking blood from him, as he suddenly grabbed her hands and looked at her deeply in the eyes and asked in a hopeful voice, "Go out with me, Dr. Granger. Let's have a few great dates and marry later on. I bet the General would let us marry here at the base. General Pierce!"

Hermione stared with an open mouthed shock at Corporal Brady. She heard several people laughing and when her eyes met the General, even the otherwise so strict man, didn't seem to hide his smile, nor did the other people in the room.

But before Brady could voice out his request, Walter cut in and said, "Come, son. You need to rest a bit longer, before you can ask your lady out properly first."

"Yes, you're right, Dr. Harris," he smiled at Hermione, who gathered her supplies and went to the far side of the lab.

But then he began to sing some strange love song. Hermione hid behind the equipment and waited for a quite amused Walter to join her.

"What's going on with everyone… it's like they are on nitrous oxide."

"I know," Walter grinned, "it looks like they are high, don't they."

Hermione cringed when Corporal Brady sang even louder.

"Is that even a song?"

"Oh yes, it was quite popular for a while," Dr. Mason joined the little group.

This was a reaction that Hermione didn't foresee. The blood test results gave more information about their strange behavior. It was the chemical reaction of the destroyed Z-Prion. The new antibodies broke down the prion but it also temporarily altered the brain chemistry, creating a low level of glucose and a small increase of serotonin, a mood-boosting neurotransmitter. Nothing too dangerous, not even for diabetics or too high to cause any lasting damage.

The next blood test confirmed their theory and the additional glucose and serotonin began to dissolve in the body. It was a chemical reaction she hadn't paid attention on her magical test dummies, cause she had been more focused on the infection itself.

"Well, this is a nice side effect," Walter said with a smile, "I don't think I've seen my son stoned."

Hermione laughed at his words. Walter was visibly more relieved after the last blood test, which showed a reduction of Z-Prion. The fever and symptoms began to reduce and by some test persons, were even gone completely. It had been five hours since the injection of the Z-Virus and everyone looked healthy and fine.

They took another blood sample from the test persons and immediately begun to work. After about six to seven hours, they went through every various blood testing and in the end, found no trace of the Z-Virus in the blood. It looked clean, the mutated proteins still in their inactive state.

"And? What are the results?" General Pierce asked impatiently, as soon as Walter and Hermione finished the last blood sample.

Walter and Hermione looked at each other, before Walter begun, "The proteins are still inactive, as it should be. The mutation in the DNA has been inactivated. The antibodies are strong and viable. And all chemical levels are in the normal range and there are no signs of any form of anomaly."

Hermione took over and further explained, "The blood screen and toxicology showed that there are no Z-Prion in the blood stream. It is completely clear of any infection."

His eyes looked at her hopefully and a look of utter disbelief was seen, "So, you're saying that it worked? We have a vaccine?"

"Yes. We finally have a solution and it works. If any of those who have been treated with NOVA-137 and positively tested for the NOVA antibodies, are bitten, they won't turn."

The whole lab, who had been listening on their conversation had cheered and hugged each other, even the usually stoic and hard faced General showed his relief and did something completely surprising. He pulled Walter and then Hermione into a tight hug, thanking them for their hard work, before they were pulled by everyone else into a warm hug.

* * *

**7****th**** May 2012**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Hermione**

The whole base had been celebrating since the news broke out that they finally had created a vaccine against the disease and had, in their rush of excitement, simply thrown a huge party at the base. It was for the first time in forever that the atmosphere wasn't gloomy or filled with despair.

Even though they were still trying to get the computers up and running well enough to transmit their findings, General Pierce was able to contact Washington and informed them about their success of NOVA-137. Now the only priority would be to get the computer back online and send the details of serum to Washington, so that the still working disease facility could mass reproduce NOVA-137. According to Eugene and Specialist Matt Wilson, they calculated and presumed that with the current lack of functional infrastructure, red zones and the few remaining functional governments in the United States and around the world, that the vaccination with NOVA-137 would probably take 2-3 years, if not longer to reach everywhere, depending on other circumstances faced. Eugene believed that once the Washington was secured that it would probably take a year or two to spread NOVA all over USA.

Hermione hoped that he was right with his theory. They had time to fix the world and give Jon and Teddy an as much as possible normal life after all.

She had already planned to send several bottles of the NOVA-137 via the transportation spell to Kingsley, as soon as she was able to reproduce more here in the military base lab. They would be in charge to make sure that the magical world would be vaccinated. But for now, they had only a limited supply of the NOVA-137 vaccine for only those deemed that were deemed the most important would get the serum. It wasn't fair, but there was no other way around it.

Walter encouraged Hermione to take a small bottle of the NOVA serum. It had maybe around nine doses of vaccine in it. He had told her that he would have done the same, if his son hadn't already taken the vaccine. She had hugged him gratefully and thanked him profoundly.

Walter and Hermione, with the help of the medical team, who had also received the vaccine, had given the serum to around two hundred other people, most of which were soldiers. These soldiers were going from the highest rank to the lowest and around 70 of them field soldiers, who were assigned to go out on regular supply runs. All in all, they were able to vaccine around 256 people in the base, including herself and Walter and once she had finished with the task, she went straight home and gave a shot to Teddy and Jon. She still had a little supply and gave the rest of it secretly to people who were important to her and the base, like Duncan, Daniel and their families and even Specialist Matt and Eugene Porter, even though they weren't field soldiers. It just gave her a peace of mind, knowing that they were safe. Eugene had taken the last dose of NOVA-137 and was quite shocked at the gift. At first he didn't want to have it, explaining that there were others who would need it more, but Hermione had explained that those who kept this place running were also very important and would be needed. This vaccination was only an insurance for them. He had thanked her quite emotionally and even went out so far as to hug her, which felt quite awkward. A very uncharacteristic behavior for someone like Eugene.

Since they would need time before their plans to mass reproduce NOVA-137, the General wanted to have as much of the vaccine as possible. He wanted everyone at the base vaccinated against the disease and planned to give it to any other survivor and whenever they would need it. Therefor, the first group who had taken NOVA-137 went out to get more supplies.

Harry and Seth were among the soldiers who went out to get the needed chemicals to create another batch of NOVA-137. Hermione and Walter, for the first time in months took a day off. He spent it at home, reading several books he came across a while back, while Hermione spent it at her place with Teddy and Jon. Even though, Harry had been out there, she was less anxious waiting for his return. She knew he was a formidable wizard and the last months had only shown her how equally brilliant he was in the way of muggle defense and now, vaccinated with NOVA-137, it had taken a huge burden from her shoulders.

The three just finished their dinner, when suddenly a blaring alarm went through the whole base. Teddy's hair color changed to a bright orange, while Jon began to cry in distress. Hermione immediately picked up Jon and tried to sooth the toddler and then a series of gun shots joined the blaring alarm.

Hermione rushed towards the window and could only see several military cars, filled with fully armed soldiers, heading towards the gate. Something bad must have had happened to react this way.

"Teddy, hold Jon for me," Hermione ordered her godson and gave him the still crying Jon.

"Aunt Mione, what- what's going on?"

She didn't want to scare him as she swiftly walked into her bedroom and pulled out her beaded handbag and put all her magical devices and personal things, journals, books and anything else into the small bag.

"Aunt Mione?" Teddy called out with a shaken voice.

"I… I don't know, Teddy, but it must be something bad, if they react like this. I'm just packing, just in case if…" Hermione shook her head and tried to give him a reassured smile. "I'm just taking precautions, Teddy."

Hermione went back and put Jon's clothes in them as well, and put them in her small backpack, before she went and pulled another one out and went to the kitchen counter, pulling out Jon's food first. That's when a harsh knock came from the door.

"DR. GRANGER! PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR!" A voice called from the other door.

"Teddy," Hermione caught his attention and pointed at his orange colored hair, which he got under control after a moment, before Hermione opened the door and was faced with two fully armed soldiers. One of them she noticed, had been from the trial, the one who had wanted to date her, his name was Corporal Tyler Brady.

"Ma'am, we need to evacuate you and Dr. Harris. We are under attack."

"What happened?"

"A large group of undead is about to breach the base. We need to leave, now!"

"I'm not leaving my children behind!" Hermione stated with a hard voice, leaving no room to discuss it. She would under no circumstances leave Teddy or Jon with anyone.

"Of course, Dr. Granger. We need to leave in three minutes," Corporal Brady replied calmly.

Hermione sighed in relief, while her heart still beat furiously over the sudden change of the situation.

She walked back into the room and took Jon from her godson's arm, who immediately clung to Hermione, with his short arms. Hermione rubbed his back gently and tried to calm him down, which didn't work.

"Teddy," Hermione leaned closer and spoke quietly, only for Teddy to be able to hear her, "I want you to go to your apartment and pack your bag as quickly as possible. Put everything you need there and leave Harry's stuff behind."

"Are we going?" Teddy asked instead, eyes wide in panic, "What about dad? We can't just leave him?"

"Teddy, we need to go. It isn't safe for us to stay. Harry will find us. I will leave a note for him. He will find us, trust me."

Teddy nodded shakily and rushed towards the apartment next door. Hermione went back to pack conserved food and bottles of water and juice, half of them in a second muggle backpack and the majority of the things, secretly in her own bag.

"Ma'am, we need to go."

Hermione nodded at Corporal Brady and was about to follow him out, when she changed her mind and went back to leave a quick note to Harry, informing him of what had happened. As soon as she finished, she put her own backpack on, while she carried the second one on her hand and at the same time, tried to support Jon in her arms. One of the soldiers was thoughtful enough and took the extra cargo from her hand. Hermione gave him a small smile in thanks. As she finally left her place she didn't see Teddy in the hallway. Without a word to the other soldiers, she entered Harry's place and found Teddy packing furiously things in his own backpack.

"Teddy, we need to go."

He only nodded silently, still shaken from the sudden turn of events. Looking around frantically.

"Did you get everything?" Hermione asked, as he closed his bag.

"Yes, I… I took my stuff and left Dad's things behind."

"We need to go, Teddy," Hermione said, trying to sound calm, while she placed her hand on his shoulder and guided him out of the apartment.

As soon as they were ready the two soldiers places Hermione and the children between them, with Corporal Brady in front of her, with a raised weapon and before they went down the hall, he spoke into the walkie on his shoulder, "Got two Bambi's and mother secured. On my way down. Over."

_"Copy that, Corporal. Einstein is already secured. Over and Out."_

If the situation hadn't been so dire, she would have laughed or at least smiled at the situation. Jon was still crying into her shoulder, while Hermione failed to sooth him. Teddy walked beside Hermione, still shaken and scared. She gently took with her free hand the baseball cap from Teddy's hand and put it on his head, just in case he forgot to control his magic.

Luckily, nothing happened, while they left the building and saw four vehicles waiting for them with around twenty soldiers. Corporal Brady led them into the second car, an army truck and as they got inside the vehicle, she saw Walter already inside, with his own backpack between his legs. He looked visibly shaken and worried, but as soon as he saw Hermione and the children, he put on a smile, albeit a little forced.

"Hermione, Teddy, come sit next to me. I saved a spot for you."

Hermione followed Walter's invitation and sat on the back of the truck, and placed Teddy between herself and Walter, while Jon was still in her arms, crying at the noises. She knew there was nothing to calm her son down, not until things become quieter.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked, as soon as the truck was filled with a handful of other soldiers and began to drive.

"Washington, ma'am," a soldier, who sat in front of her, answered her. His name plate read CW4 D. Wilson, who looked to be around his late 20s to mid 30s.

"General Pierce wanted a group to get you and Dr. Harris to Washington, due to the compromised situation of the base. Our first Lieutenant Welles, offered the help with his team, us, the U.S. National Guard. Several other army soldiers, like Corporal Brady, Private West and Hughes volunteered to join us, to secure the journey to Washington."

But then suddenly, they began to shout and the cars before and behind them begun to shoot at a distant place. The unmistakable inhuman sounds could be heard even over the blaring of the siren and shootings. To be able to hear them, there must have been dozens, probably hundreds of them out there. Teddy clung to Hermione and she could feel him shake in her arm, while Jon's was completely terrified by now. Walter placed a comforting hand on Teddy's shoulder.

The soldiers around them had pointed their weapons towards the entrance of the car, ready for any danger that could occur, but thankfully nothing happened as they took a sharp U-turn and headed towards the back of the base. In doing so, Hermione got a small picture of what was going on, and what she saw, made her blood freeze in her veins. On the far side of the base, one of the exit doors of the base had been destroyed and behind it, they saw a herd of undead trying to get in. But it was what she had seen behind the open door that left her terrified. There was a sea of undead, as far as the eye could see. A helicopter was suddenly in the air and the last thing she saw, before they put more distance between them was that the helicopter was attacking from the air, shooting and throwing missiles at the far side.

She couldn't believe how fast things had turned out badly. How had they missed this many undead heading this way in the first place? Harry and the other two wizards had put strengthening spells and runes around the fence of the base, and that was probably the only reason why they were still standing.

"How could this happen?" Walter voiced out in a shaken voice.

"We saw them coming and tried to stop them before they reached the base, but there were just too many. Hundreds. Maybe more. Like an army of undead," a soldier answered.

"What will happen to the people here? The families? Won't they be evacuated?" Hermione asked, her voice shaking.

"The families are ordered to stay in their living quarters for now, until they get the situation under control. If they aren't able to secure the base, an evacuation protocol will be initiated."

Even on this side of the base, the guards on the fence begun to shoot outside the fence. The car stopped for a moment, before the gate opened and the car convoy drove through. Still shooting into the darkening night at the growing undead around them.

* * *

**14****th**** May 2012, between Dead Oak Rd and Rising Star Rd, Senoia, Coweta County, Georgia, USA **

**Hermione **

It had been a week since they fled Fort Polk Military Base in Louisiana and were now, somewhere in Georgia. The journey took longer than expected, due to the bad condition of the streets and area. They had faced several groups of undead and even dangerous muggles, but they handled the situation quite quickly.

Almost two days after they had escaped Fort Polk, Harry finally got in contact with them, through the military communication device. At night, when Hermione, Teddy and Jon were able to be alone, they had mirror called Harry. He promised that he would join them, as soon as he helped secure the base. Afterwards, he would get his boat and meet them at a certain located point in Washington, since it would be the most plausible location and better to explain, and he would be able to secure the boat.

Fortunately, the military could contain the situation at Fort Polk in the end, with a minor number of casualties, mostly those who haven't been able to be vaccinated bore the greatest count of losses. Many of the vaccinated soldiers, had put themselves in front of the line of fire and had gotten bitten, but thankfully NOVA-137 did what it should do, by stopping the infection and mutation.

But for now, Hermione, Teddy, Jon, and everyone else in this group would still have some way to go, until they reached Washington. Returning back to Fort Polk was out of question, due to the still insecure area. From what the soldiers, with whom they traveled, could find out was that the whole area around the military base was still a hot zone, as more and more undead closed on them from all around the cities, towns and villages. Therefore, their only destiny was to get to Washington.

It was a hard journey. A few days ago, they had found a helicopter in one of those refugee base that was now completely overrun by the undead. The good thing was that the helicopter was still functional and fueled. It was agreed then that First Lieutenant Welles would fly over the area around them, with two of his other soldiers, Chief Warrant Sean and Franklin. The Lieutenant wanted to see, which route was the safest for them to travel. It had been several hours since then, with barely any contact from what she had heard.

"When do you think they will come back?" Teddy asked. Hermione didn't have to ask about whom he was talking about, as she knew he meant Lieutenant and his two soldiers.

"I don't know. Hopefully, soon."

Teddy nodded silently, as he sat next to Hermione on the step of the backside of the military truck, while he kicked his leg in the air. Jon was on the ground grabbing the sand and letting it fall several times, while grinning behind his pacifier. The eighteen month old toddler was thankfully obvious to the tense situation, which began to gradually grow with each passing hour, as he became his usual cheery self. The soldiers really enjoyed Jon's and Teddy's company as it made things a little lighter. Walter's happy demeanor helped a great deal as well. He was currently resting in another vehicle, wanting to sleep a little on a cushioned seat and not on the hard wood seat, while they waited for Lieutenant Welles return.

Suddenly, the sound of a car could be heard speeding up closer towards them.

"Incoming vehicle, holding up a white flag. Stay alert," Corporal Brady called out. Everyone instantly begun to draw their weapons.

"Dr. Granger, please go inside the truck," Frank said, before he climbed on the roof of their vehicle.

Hermione picked up Jon from the ground and held him up for Teddy who took him immediately, before she could climb up inside the truck. She drew her wand out and listened carefully to the sounds outside. She cast a silencing charm around the truck, just to make sure that they wouldn't draw any attention. She had done this several times, whenever they got in a dangerous situation. If this was the only way to help these soldiers, by staying quiet, until it was safe again, then so be it.

A man shouted something, as soon as he stopped the car. Hermione leaned closer to hear what he was talking about.

_"Identify yourself,"_ Brady ordered loudly.

_"Hey, hey, hey, hey! We found your guy. Wells. Lieutenant Wells. The chopper went down," _the man responded quickly.

_"Where is he?"_ Brady asked and Hermione could hear the worry in his voice.

_"We got a little settlement. Now, he's badly hurt, but he is alive. The other guys didn't make it, I'm sorry," _the man responded.

Hermione gasped at the information. Teddy must have listened as well, which wouldn't be too difficult, seeing that his senses, due to his father's werewolf curse, had heightened his own.

"They- they are dead?" Teddy asked shocked.

Hermione put her arms around him and comforted him silently.

She leaned back and listened to what the man was saying, _"-he told me I would find you here. Told me to bring you to him, that you were on a mission."_

Hermione frowned at his words, while another soldier spoke to his friends, _"They found Wells. They got him. They found him." _

_"We thank you, but I will send a group of my men to collect Lieutenant and be on our way,"_ Brady answered in a strong voice.

_"No can do,"_ the man replied and before anyone could say anything a shot went off.

Hermione instantly cast a strong protection spell around them, as she heard a series of guns firing were all around them, they could hear the soldier screaming, shouting commands, bullet hitting flesh, the man on the truck's roof, Franklin, falling down. The shots came from everywhere, even hitting their own truck, Jon cried in distress and Teddy had shut his eyes, until after what felt like forever the shots stopped. It was silent for a moment until the same unknown man spoke to his men, not to waste any bullets.

As Hermione looked around, she noted several bullets laying around them, repelled by her warding spell.

Her mind was running wild at their current situation and the only clear thought she had, was to get Jon and Teddy out. Jon began to cry and his pacifier fell to the ground, Teddy's whole body shook next to her, his hair had changed to a mix of grey green color, as he hugged her tightly.

_"Pick up the rest of these weapons."_ Hermione heard the man say to his men.

She had to act fast, while they still had a chance to escape.

Hermione gently but firmly pulled away from Teddy and looked him in his wide eyes.

"Teddy, you have Harry's invisibility cloak with you, don't you."

"Yes, Aunt-"

"Pull it out! Quickly!"

Hermione grabbed her own backpack and pulled out, from the hidden pocket, her old beaded bag and gave it to Teddy, who put it into his own backpack, before he strapped it over himself.

"Take this and pull the cloak around yourself and Jon. I will cast a silencing and other protection sells around you both. You still remember the wardings and the protection spells Harry and I showed you?"

"Yes, but why-"

"We don't have time. Hurry; Teddy." She gave Jon to Teddy, who didn't want to let go, but desperately grabbed on Teddy tightly as soon as he was in the teenager's arms. Hermione placed the cloak around their shoulders and made sure that it reached their feet, before she would pull the remaining material over their head.

"Now, listen to me carefully, Teddy. I will distract them, while you and Jon run through the fields, into the forest. Stay away from the streets. Find a safe spot or place on the high ground, something secure and when you are sure that no one is around, cast a silencing spell, locking spell and the warding spell. Remember to pronounce them correctly and see that the colors are right. Concentrate and then cast. I still have my tent in my bag, use it if you can't find anything safe, but cast at first those protection spells around the area."

"But Aunt Mione, we could just apparate away. You don't have to leave us!" He couldn't hold back the tears anymore, as his voice broke in fear.

"Jon is too small to apparate. It's too dangerous for him," Hermione explained quickly, when suddenly another single shot went out, before a body hit the ground. It sounded closer to where they were. The soldier probably tried to get Hermione and the children out. The thought sent her heart beating faster.

Hermione focused back on Teddy, and said, "We don't have much time, Teddy. I need you to listen to me carefully."

At Teddy's teary nod, Hermione continued her voice shaking a little, "As soon as the wards are up, you will call Harry, tell him… tell him what happened. He will come and find you. Stay there until Harry finds you, Teddy. You have everything inside these bags. Don't leave the wards under any circumstances, do you understand?"

"Yes," Teddy said, crying, which made Hermione cry as well. She pulled them both into her arms, holding them tightly as a few tears escaped her eyes.

"Mommy! No go, Mommy!" Jon cried, holding up his arms to her, but Hermione kissed and stroked his head gently.

"Mommy, will come back soon, ok. You will go with Teddy for a bit, until Daddy comes. Stay good for Teddy, alright?" She kissed him again and wiped his tears away, "Mommy loves you."

She turned back to Teddy and kissed him on his forehead as well, before she looked him into the eyes and said, "I love you, Teddy." The noises of a man approaching grew closer. She cast a quick feather light charm over Jon's clothes.

"I know this is hard, but I need you to stay brave, Teddy. Your dad will find you. I love you both," Hermione assured them, as her own tears fell.

She quickly pulled the cloak over their head, making them disappear, before she cast a series of strong silencing, muggle repelling and shielding spells over them, with a touch of her wand over the cloak. The spells would hold on for a while, until it faded, due to the own strong magic of the cloak. The cries of Jon immediately ceased and any other sound they made.

"I will distract them now, while you run into the field, Teddy. Be fast and try to not make too much of a disturbance, so that they won't see you. On my mark you will run and not look back, Teddy," Hermione said, as she canceled the silencing spell and wards she put inside the truck.

"I love you both. Please be careful," said Hermione one last time in an emotional filled voice, before she jumped out of the military car, punched the an Asian looking man in the face, just as he rounded on them with a knife in his hand. He fell unconsciously on the ground, right next to the lifeless body of the soldier, whose shirt was covered in blood. It was a gruesome sight. She turned towards the place she assumed Teddy was and whispered to him in a hurried voice, "Go!"

She couldn't hear them, but detected two footprints in the sand, before it disappeared at the edge of the grass field. Hermione blurred the prints with a wave of her wand and cast a Muggle Repelling spell in the direction of the field they took off. It would disillusion the area for muggles, make them see no difference if they looked at the field. The spell would only hold on for less than an hour, before it would fade away.

With a last glance in their direction, she took off to her right and almost froze at the sight before her. All those soldiers, her friends, lay dead on the ground. Around them were muggles with guns and several of them were aimed at her. She half expected them to shoot her, but a voice, the same voice who tricked the soldiers, commanded his men firmly, "No, don't shoot her! Take her alive."

Hermione heard the sound of feet running towards her, but she didn't look back. She tried not to look at the unmoving bodies on the ground, as she made a beeline for the field, which lead into the forest. But when she saw Walter lying on the ground, covered in blood next to an open car door, she almost stopped. She stumbled a little as a sob escaped her at the sight of the man she had come to love as a father, a mentor, a friend. She pushed her heartbreak away and kept running harder, especially as she reached the field.

Her vision became blurry in anger and grief, as the headed for the forest. She wanted to hurt them for the despicable things they did, but she was outnumbered and wouldn't be able to take them down, nor could she use defensive magic, without breaking the Statute of Secrecy. And she was possibly risking not only the discovery of their world, but also the danger of suffering the same fate, as these brave soldiers. Instead she hoped to get as far away as possible and as soon as she was in the forest would use an invisibility spell on herself. She wasn't sure, if she could apparate in this state of mind. But her plan came crashing down, as soon as she heard the motor engine of a car turn on, heading her way.

She knew right then that they would catch her and that there was no way for her to escape. Tears escaped her eyes, at the thought of never seeing Teddy, Jon or Harry again. She feared for the safety of Teddy and Jon and hoped that Harry would find them. But right now, it was more important for the both of them to escape from this terrible people, even if it meant paying with her own life.

Hermione dared a glance back and saw two tall men perusing her, a Hispanic and a tall Afro-American. They grinned at her vicious, as if this was just another game for them. She didn't pay attention to those two, as she looked behind them and noted with relief that the rustling of the grass, had finally reached the edge of the forest. They had made it. Her heart leaped at the thought, that they would be safe from these dangerous men.

Hermione turned back and pushed her legs harder. She wouldn't make it easy on them. If they planned to kill her, then she would fight as much as possible.

The sound of the car grew louder, until it was right next to her. Looking at the car beside her, she saw a man sitting on the drivers side, smiling maliciously with a dangerous glint in his eyes that send a cold shiver down her spine. The car suddenly sped up, before he took a turn and stopped right in front of her. Hermione halted for a moment, wanting to run around the car. She even raised her wand to damage the car and push those men away, when suddenly, the man from the car and moved swiftly, which she didn't anticipate, grabbed her wand arm and he pushed her to the ground. He put his knee on her chest and grabbed both wrists, holding them tightly in his hand next to her head. Her wand had fallen a little further away, unable to reach for it.

But all movement ceased in Hermione, as soon as she looked into the cold eyes of the man above her.

"Well, well, well. Who do we have here?"

* * *

A/N: This is now the official end of Season 2 and right into Season 3. Hope I could surprise you all :)


	14. Chapter 13 - Monster Within

**A/N: **I am completely blown away by the positive response for this story. I want to thank everyone who took the time to leave a review and I can't thank you all enough for favoriting and following this story. You all are just amazing.

A big thanks goes to uoduck for beta reading this chapter. Thank you so much for all you have done so far.

And I also have to thank white squirrel for making sure that all is still well with the scientific part of the story. Thank you so much.

Now, I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 13 - Monster Within**

* * *

**14****th**** May 2012**, **Fort Polk Military Base, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA**

**Harry **

His heart beat frantically in his chest, as he stood in the control room and waited for Specialist Matt Wilson to set up a connection with the soldiers of Hermione's and Walter's evacuation group. They hadn't been able to contact them in almost four hours and Harry was beginning to fear the worst. He wanted to make a mirror call, but knew that if Hermione was with the soldiers that she simply couldn't respond to his call.

"Whiskey 1-2, Whiskey 1-2, do you copy?" Specialist Wilson spoke over the radio, but nothing but stasis could be heard.

"Here is Specialist Matt Wilson, Fort Polk Military Base speaking, do you copy, Whiskey 1-2?"

But no one answered. Harry began to pace back and forth in the control room. The tense and somber atmosphere began to grow with each failed attempt to contact them.

"Specialist Wilson," another IT-Tech spoke up, "We've got a connection with the satellites and now are able to locate the area of their last given coordinates."

"Good, do it."

Harry, who stopped his pacing, stood next to Seth Harris and waited for the pictures to come up on the screen. At first they only saw nothing but green fields and forest. No signs of the troupe.

"Zoom out and make a 5 miles radius from last known the coordinates point," General Pierce ordered Wilson.

"Yes, sir."

They waited with a tense silence and looked through the live satellite footage as well. They saw general pictures of destroyed areas, burned cars, a few undead, until Sergeant Ford spoke up, "Hold on. Go back a little, there was an open field. Yes there."

The screen wide open area, was filled with several undead streaming towards this particular area and that's when they noticed that the people on the ground wore military uniforms.

Harry gasped in horror as he realized what he was looking at. His blood ran cold as fear gripped his heart. "No, please no," his voice broke at the horror of the loss.

"Fucking hell!" Sergeant Ford cursed angrily at the sight.

"We need to identify the bodies, Wilson," General Pierce said, sounding anxious at the sight.

"Yes, sir," Wilson said, unable to hide the quiver in his voice, as he zoomed in on every lying body on the ground, even if they were half eaten by the undead. So far the body count was eighteen. Brady, Wilson, West, Hughes and so many others.

Seth suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. Harry turned towards the man, who became completely pale as he looked at the screen with utter disbelief. He walked forward and ordered Wilson to zoom on at a spot, and when he did, Harry felt his heart break at the sight.

Walter lay dead on the ground, surrounded by two undead creatures, who were eating his lifeless body. Seth stood motionless, before he shouted at the screen, "No! NO!"

His hands went over his head, completely overcome with grief. In his anger, Seth grabbed several items on the nearby desks and threw them around, while screaming in pain and denial, not caring that he was in the presence of the General or Sergeants. Ford swiftly walked towards Seth pulled him into his arms and led him out of the room.

For a moment, no one said anything and Wilson went back to identify the bodies. After what felt like forever, he stated that he didn't find First Lieutenant Welles, Chief Warrant Sean, Chief Warrant Franklin, Hermione, Teddy or Jon.

"Maybe they made it out, sir?" Wilson spoke up hopefully.

"We won't know for sure, until we get in contact with them."

Harry couldn't wait any longer and left the control room without another word. He walked into the nearest empty room, cast several spells to prevent anyone from listening or coming in, before he pulled out his mirror and called Hermione.

"Come on, Hermione. Pick up. Pick up."

After the eighth ring, the mirror finally opened and when he saw Teddy instead of Hermione, he instantly felt a mix of relief and worry at the sight. His son's face was tear strained and Jon was crying in the background.

"Teddy! Thank Merlin! Are you ok? Where is Hermione?"

_"Dad," _Teddy began as more tears fell from his eyes, _"Dad they attacked us, we didn't do anything and they just attacked us." _

"Who Teddy? Who attacked you? Where is Hermione?"

_"I don't know, dad. They took, Aunt Mione."_

"What? Teddy explain everything from the beginning," Harry told him gently and listened carefully to the story. About how they were waiting for the Lieutenant to return, the attack by a group of muggles, how Hermione gave them the opportunity to escape and her kidnapping.

_"She told us to run, dad and- and to call you when we are safe and to wait for you to get to us." _

"Where are you right now?" Harry's heart was racing madly in his chest, at the knowledge that his children were alone, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, in a dangerous territory.

_"I don't know. We walked mostly through the forest and fields. Aunt Mione said, we should find a safe place on the high grounds."_

"That's right. Can you tell me if you see a street, sign or something?"

_"Yes, the street signs in front of us are and they say we are between Luthersville Road and Oakland Road."_

"All right, do you see any buildings, houses in that area?"

_"Yes, in the Oakland Road. I think I see shops there as well." _

"Is it safe to go there? Can you turn the mirror to the street you mentioned, so that can I have a look?"

_"Yes, dad," _Teddy said before he turned it towards the said street. It looked deserted and there were mainly shops, and small apartments above them. It looked like it used to be a cozy little town street.

"Do you see anything dangerous around yourself? Humans or undead?"

After a pause Teddy answered,_ "No. No one is here." _

"Good, I want you to go down there, Teddy. Can you hold your wand as well?"

_"No, dad. I'm holding Jon and the mirror with the other hand. Aunt Mione placed a featherlight charm on Jon's clothes, but I don't think I can hold all these at the same time."_

"All right, give the mirror to Jon." Teddy immediately did and Harry greeted the now hiccuping toddler. He looked utterly exhausted and scared.

"Hey, Jon," Harry said softly and the toddler immediately called, _"Daddy! Mummy go!" _

"I know, but I will come to you very soon. But for now you must hold the mirror tightly in your hand, can you do that?"

Jon nodded and grabbed the mirror more tightly in both of his hands.

"You do a good job, Jon."

_"Want Mummy,"_ Jon said and Harry comforted him gently, promising to come to them and find his mummy.

Teddy had begun to make his way towards the silent street. He looked over the buildings, until he found a little shop, completely shut down and closed. It was a barber shop. It looked secure and undamaged, like most of the shops on this street. They probably had left the place earlier in the outbreaks.

"Teddy, I want you to knock on the door."

_"Why?", _the teenager asked confused.

"The undead are attracted by noises and knocking on that door, will tell you if someone or something is inside that building."

_"Ok, I will do that." _

Teddy took a deep breath and did as he was told and knocked strongly at the door. He repeated it twice, but no sound came from inside. Teddy told him that he couldn't hear or smell anything, not even with his accurate senses.

"Good, now unlock the door with your wand and open it slowly. Go inside if you don't see anything and close the door behind yourself. Focus on the sounds and smells around you."

Harry wished that he had taught Teddy the _Vivera Mortis Revelio _spell, but he had never thought that Teddy would need something like that anytime in the future. He waited for his son to follow up on his instructions and after a few minutes of silence, Teddy said, _"I don't hear or smell anything, dad." _

"Good. Keep the cloak on and go slowly to each room on the ground level, if everything is clear we will do it on the other levels of the house."

_"Ok, dad," _Teddy said and did as he was told. He went from the shop entrance, the barber room, towards the back, where the living quarters began. Afterwards, he walked up to the first level and then lastly, the basement. Harry sighed in relief when the place could provide a safe place for Teddy and Jon. But before they could rest, Harry instructed him to cast several protection spells at the place, from sealing spells to muggle repelling and silencing spells. Teddy was exhausted after he finished casting on the door and windows of the two story apartment. Jon had already fallen asleep on the couch an hour ago.

"You and Jon will stay there, until I come and get you, alright? I will be on my way soon."

_"Alright, dad," _Teddy said and sat, from what he could see, next to the sleeping Jon.

"I will let your Grandma Molly know and she will help with keeping you both company and send you provisions, until I come. Let Jon sleep for now and give him something to eat and drink when he wakes up, ok? I will call you back as soon as I am on my way."

_"Dad,"_ Teddy suddenly cut in, a worried look on his face.

"Yes, Teddy."

_"Will Aunt Mione be alright? I mean, I just saw them catching her and when we were safe and far away, I saw them taking her to one of the cars. I… I… wanted to help,"_ Teddy's voice suddenly broke,_ "Maybe if I had helped, she would have had a chance to-" _

"No, Teddy. This isn't your fault and you couldn't have done anything to help her. These people are dangerous," Harry explained gently but firmly. He sighed frustratingly as he pushed his hand through his already messy hair. The thought of Hermione in the hands of these muggles made him go almost mad. He couldn't let himself think of the things they could be doing to her.

"It's not your fault, Teddy. Go rest for now, I will call you back later. Make sure that the mirror is next to you."

_"I will, dad." _

Both reluctantly said their goodbyes and closed the mirror. His hands begun to shake as he tried to control his racing heart. His family was separated and he didn't know where Hermione was. He would have to make sure that Teddy checked the spells he placed every few hours, to make sure that they were still up. The fear of loosing them had never been this great or so close for him.

He couldn't lose them. He wouldn't.

Taking a deep breath, Harry canceled the spells around the small room and walked out, in the direction of the control room. He would leave the base today and find his family. He wouldn't wait for approval or permission. Harry had been here only for Hermione and he would make it clear to anyone who dared to stay stand in his way.

* * *

**14****th**** May 2012, Woodbury, Senoia, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

A sharp pain shot through Hermione's head, which woke her up. Her vision was completely blurry and she had a hard time seeing things straight. It took her a moment to get her bearings of her surroundings. She was alone in a small room. She noted that some of her belongings were spread on a table to her side. Hermione tried to move, but found herself immobile. She felt completely disoriented at her surroundings and began to panic in confusion at her situation. She tried to move her arms, only to notice that her wrists were strapped behind her back on the backside of the chair she was sitting on.

And then suddenly the missing memories came rushing back to her. The ambush by these muggles, Teddy's and Jon's escape, Hermione distracting them and how they had caught her. Hermione remembered that she had tried to fight and made an attempt to get her wand, but the man holding her down had grabbed her wand and laughed at her, believing that she had tried to defend herself with a simple stick. She remembered that he had taken it anyway, due to the carvings on it, as he had pointed out. She was dragged to the car and shortly after they began to drive, was hit on the back of the head with something, which rendered her unconscious.

Hermione frantically looked back at the table and over her belongings. Her eyes widened in relief as she spotted her wand among her belongings. She looked back at the door, where several noises could be heard.

She knew she had to act fast, in order to escape. Hermione closed her eyes and focused on her wandless magic. She channelled her magic to the tips of her finger, which she was able to touch the bindings with. Slowly, the material loosened on her wrists, until they fell down. Hermione jumped out of the chair and rushed towards her belongings, grabbed her wand and bag. She quickly put everything back with a flick of her wand and strapped it on her back.

The fastest way out of the room would be to apparate, ideally to a safe location, but she didn't know where to go. Returning back to the site where they had been ambushed wouldn't be a wisest choice and probably too dangerous now. Which left her only with one option, finding a way out of this place and then locating Teddy and Jon.

She walked silently towards the door and put her ear on it. She could hear two men talking to each other on the other side. Looking back around the room, she noted that it didn't even have a window and noted that the ceiling had a diagonal structure with a very small window, which meant that she was in the attic, with only two ways out. The window was out of the question since it was too high and too small for her to climb up, which only left her one option.

Hermione glared at the door and grabbed her wand more tightly. It was not the safest way out, but if she would have to fight her way through, than she would do it.

She quickly came up with a diversion and before she could change her mind, she knocked on the door. Hermione hid behind the door and waited for it to open and as soon as it did, she aimed her wand at them man and cast a silent stupefy spell on him, before he could even look in her direction and did the same with the other one. They didn't see the spells coming.

Adrenaline raced through her body as she took off down the hallway and towards the steps and just as she was about to turn around the corner, someone knocked her to the ground. Her head was spinning again, as she tried to get up, while looking for her wand that fell from her hand, when she fell. But someone put his boot on it, just as she made to grab for it.

"Ah, ah, ah, pretty girl. Don' think that lil' stick will help ya against me," he chuckled, amused at her situation.

Hermione felt a cold shiver go down her spine, as she turned around and looked up at the man. His right arm bore a self-made prosthetic with a huge knife attached to it.

"Please, I… I just want to go home," Hermione pleaded with the man, but knew that it was useless as she noticed his unfazed expression at her words.

"Can't do that, kitten. The Governor wants a little chat with ya. I bet cha, he'll be really impressed to hear how ya got free and past the two guards at ya door," he said grinning down at her, before he grabbed her arm and pulled her up. Hermione tried to fight him, but he simply turned her around, pushed her back against his chest and held the knifed arm against her throat. Hermione froze instantly, the familiarity of this position sent her into an almost panicked state.

She closed her eyes, trying to calm her nerves, but failed as the man leaned closer and whispered into her ear tauntingly, "I like girls with a little fire in 'em, kitten."

The man dragged Hermione back into the same room she had escaped from and walked over the two unmoving bodies on the ground. He nudged them with his boot, but they remained unmoving. The man holding her only laughed at the sight, "You hit 'em good, kitten."

Hermione didn't say anything as he pushed her back onto the chair and to her surprise was even able to tie her up with one hand. Hermione stayed silent as she watched the man with the knife prosthetic, going back to the man on the ground and put his fingers against the on their pulse. She knew that they were only unconscious and would, without the counter-curse, wake up within 2-3 hours.

The man with the blade hand stayed in the room and leered at her. Hermione tried to distract herself by thinking on how to get her wand back, which lay outside on the ground in the corridor. The man didn't deem it important enough to pick it up. She knew that they would be more attentive now and pay more attention to her.

Her thoughts came to a sudden halt, as the door opened and three more people came in. The front man, apparently the leader, who had caught her in the field, led the other two men into the room. They were the same two men who had chased her on the field. The man with the blade quickly informed the leader, whom he called the Governor about what Hermione did, even giving an assumption about how she could have knocked these two off, by hitting them on the head with an antique looking heavy lamp.

Hermione stayed silent. She wouldn't give them the pleasure of scaring or intimidating her. She silently looked back, until the man chuckled and spoke, "Hope the head isn't hurting anymore, but seeing as how you could free yourself and knocked out two of my men, you must feel just fine. Looks like I gotta keep an eye on you."

He smiled at Hermione charmingly, as if he hadn't just killed innocent people.

He watched her, with the smile on her face and asked, "What is a woman like you, traveling with a group of soldiers?"

He waited a moment and when it was clear that she wouldn't answer him said, "Not going to tell me? Well, I guess it's a good think that I found these."

The Governor pulled out Hermione's CDC and WHO identification cards, from his pocket, holding it up for her to see, before he read it aloud the brief details about Hermione, name, position, identification number.

"Looks like you are a big shot and they were bringing you somewhere. The questions would be where and why, Dr. Granger? You must have been very important. Mmh? Not going to say anything?"

"Why did you do it?" Hermione asked angrily.

"What?"

"Why did you kill all these soldiers. Men, who didn't do anything to you, who had taken an oath to protect innocent people, this country!" the last part was almost shouted at him. Not a flash of regret or guilt flashed through the eyes of the Governor. Instead his eyes held a tint of blood lust in them. The other men in the room, at least looked a little uncomfortable at her words.

"Those men were dangerous. A threat to my people and town."

"A threat?" Hermione repeated incredulously. "Corporal Brady told you that he would send a few man to pick up Lieutenant Welles so that we could be on our way. You deliberately massacred those men, butchered them like animals."

The Governor watched her with an amused smile and said, "Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions for the greater good."

"For the greater good," Hermione scoffed at his words, before she asked him, "Is Lieutenant Welles even alive? Or did you lie about it and killed him as well?"

"How about you answer one of my questions and I will answer one of yours, doctor. It's a fair trade, don't you think?"

Hermione balled her fists at the situation. She desperately wanted, needed to know if Wells was still alive. If he was, she would need to find him before she escaped and get him out of there as well. Even if it meant using magic against them. She could always erase their memories later on.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Washington. We were on our way to Washington."

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it? Why were you heading there?"

"Is Lieutenant Welles alive?" Hermione asked in a hard voice.

The Governor only chuckled at Hermione, but answered anyway, "Yes, Lieutenant Welles is still alive. Now, why were you heading to Washington?"

Hermione stayed silent and refused to answer. It was enough for Hermione to know that Lieutenant Welles was alive.

"No answer? Well, I guess I will have to interrogate the Lieutenant. Won't be pretty, but information is essential, don't you think?" the man said and stood up. Hermione's eyes widened at the implication. She knew that he didn't shy away from hurting or even killing Wells if she didn't corporate.

"The remnants of the U.S. government are in this city, at an isolated area, mostly underground, heavily guarded by the majority of the U.S. military. I was going there to be an asset to the lab," Hermione said, hiding the fact that she was going there for a whole other reason. "How is Lieutenant Welles condition?"

"Broken ribs and leg, head trauma. Nothing permanent as of yet."

Hermione nodded in relief, even with the underlying threat of Welles' situation. It was still good news though. She could get him out as well, when the time was right.

"But I don't think you are telling me everything, are you, Dr. Granger?"

"What?"

"So, do you want to give me the real reason why you were heading with almost two dozens of men to Washington? All the way from Louisiana?" At Hermione's wide eyes, he continued with a smile, "Oh, did I forget to mention that? Your Lieutenant Welles was quite chatty. So I ask again, and if I believe that you are lying to me, I will ask your Lieutenant and the way I'll do it… doubt he will like it."

Hermione let the word sink in.

"Tick tock, doc."

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment, not knowing what Welles had told him, she begun to tell him what he wanted to know, "Dr. Harris and I, another scientist, who traveled with us, whom you have killed along with seventeen other men… we were supposed to be brought to Washington to replicate a serum we both created."

"What serum?"

"I want to talk to Lieutenant Welles."

The Governor laughed at her demand, which was quickly joined by the other men in the room.

"She thinks she has some say here?" the Governor stated.

He stopped laughing and turned to Hermione, eyes hardening. "Let me make this perfectly to you. I am the one in charge here and I could make my… generous hospitality quite uncomfortable for you."

Hermione stayed quiet for a moment, considering what she should do next. She wasn't left with a lot of options. In the end, she decided to answer him. From there on, she knew, he could only extract the information from only her and not Wells anymore. Hermione hoped that she could protect the soldier this way.

Hermione took a deep breath and said, "Dr. Harris and I have created a serum that is able to repairs the damage in our DNA sequence. Essentially, it is a vaccine that makes everyone immune to the pathogen. We were sent to Washington to duplicate this serum, from where it was planned to give it to the whole population. To heal and repair the world."

Everyone stood silent. The Governor had a look of malicious glee in his eyes, while the other three conscious men in the room looked at her with disbelief and even guilt written over their faces, probably at the damage they had caused by killing the soldiers.

"Holly shit! Let me get this straight, kitten. You've got a cure?"

"Yes," Hermione answered, not in the mood to correct the right terminology of the serum.

"Damn, girly. Knew you were special from the moment I saw ya."

"It's your lucky day, Dr. Granger. You can create the serum here, in Woodbury. I will provide you will all the necessary equipments and supplies. Even have my own scientist here in Woodbury to assist you."

Hermione tensed at the Governor's offer. She could guess that he didn't have good intentions and would abuse and misuse NOVA for his own benefit. Someone like him, a power hungry sadistic sociopath would cause more horror and damage to the world than help it. Hermione would rather die with the knowledge of the formula than give it to him.

"No," Hermione hissed in disgust.

"Excuse me?" The Governor looked quite taken aback at her response.

"No."

"You could save lives, isn't that the purpose of it?"

"Not to you, you bloody bastard."

A dangerous glint appeared in the cold eyes of the Governor, "We will see, won't we?"

He suddenly stood up and slapped her hard across the face, making her head jerk back to the side. Hermione gasped in surprise, as she felt her cheek throb in pain. She steeled herself before she looked back at the man, who smiled sadistically at Hermione and said, "Oh, I think we gonna have some fun together, Dr. Granger."

* * *

**15****th**** May 2012, Somewhere in Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

For hours, Harry had been flying over the cities, field and forests. Invisible to everyone due to a spell, which he had to reapplied every few hours. He took barely any breaks, only if it was absolutely necessary, just like now. It was becoming too dark for him to see anything anymore and therefore decided to land on a roof of an apartment building. Harry would continue his journey at dawn.

His mind was filled with regrets and he couldn't help but blame himself for the current situation. He shouldn't have gone out that day for supply runs. If he just had stayed back, Harry could have gone with Hermione, Teddy and Jon. He would have been able to protect them against the attack or any other danger. His mind had played all kinds of scenarios and possible outcomes if he just had gone with them. If he had just followed the group immediately after, he could have had caught up with them and stayed with his family. Protected them. He should have known that the journey would have been dangerous and now, his family was ripped apart, somewhere in Georgia.

Harry recalled the decision he gave the General, after the mirror call with Teddy.

At first, he had actually tried to convince the General to send a search party to find Hermione and their children, but the man decided against it. Explaining that it was not only a red zone, an unknown and extremely dangerous territory, but also due to the lack of confirmation of her status. He would assign Eugene Porter and Specialist Matt Wilson to collect the data, notes and any other information from the lab and send it to Washington. The General hoped that this would be enough to recreate NOVA-137.

Harry was quite angry at the General's plan, especially that he so easily gave up on Hermione. Harry had it made quite clear what he thought of him, and not in the polite way. The General had tried to talk Harry out of his decision to look for his family, pointing out that it was probably already too late anyway. But Harry wouldn't hear any of it, knowing that his family was still alive, and made it quite clear that he would be going, whether he liked it or not. He left afterwards.

Sergeant Ford, who had heard about Harry's decision had caught up to him, just as Harry was about to leave his apartment, with his backpack on his shoulder. He told Harry to follow him, and led him towards the armory, giving him a small duffel-bag with different guns and lots of ammunition, as well as an Iridium phone with its charger, which was a satellite mobile phone. At Harry's confused and very surprised look, he only told him that he needed to find Hermione and the kids and as soon as he has a location for them to give him a call on the saved number on the phone. He promised that he would personally make sure to get a unit to their location and get them to Washington. Ford couldn't provide Harry with a vehicle, due to the damage the base had faced, but Harry explained that he would simply find a car outside. Harry thanked him profoundly and was deeply touched that not everyone had given up on Hermione.

Duncan and Daniel, the two wizards, wanted to assist him on his search, even if it meant going against General Pierce's orders, but Harry refused their offer. A handful of soldiers had offered their help too, but Harry declined them as well. He couldn't risk anyone else's life, as he would be faster on his own, nor did he want to rip their own families apart. They needed to stay here and protect their own loved ones. Harry knew he wouldn't be able to bear the burden or guilt if anything should happen to their families, while Duncan and Daniel were with him. He didn't want to take the risk.

Harry sighed as he pulled out his mirror and tabbed his wand at the edge of the frame and called, "Hermione Granger". It was still her mirror and any calls would be only connected by calling her name on it.

A moment later, Teddy answered. The once cheery and happy teenager was completely gone by now. He looked more serious and guarded.

"Teddy."

_"Hi, dad, I was just talking with Grandma."_

"That's good. How is she?" Harry asked, trying to make light conversation with his son, but after a few minutes, they came to a dead end.

Harry looked at his son closely, before he asked, "Are you both alright, Teddy?"

Teddy shrugged and looked down for a moment, before he answered, _"Jon is ok. I gave him food I made, after Grandma Molly sent us the ingredients. She helped me make dinner over the mirror. Grandma explained that they couldn't send prepared meals through long distance, cause it could spoil it or change the taste. And then I took care of Jon, just as Grandma told me to and now, Jon's sleeping here on the couch… He doesn't like to be alone." _

Harry was thankful for Molly's help and he didn't even know how to repay her. He noted though that Teddy avoided talking about himself, trying to hide his own feelings.

"How are you, Teddy?"

He stayed silent for a moment, before he said, _"I just want you and Aunt Mione back, Dad… I miss her." _

Harry sighed. He leaned back against the wall at side of the roof and said, "Me too, Teddy. We will get her back. I promise you, I will get her back, Teddy."

He just hoped that he would be able to keep his promise to his son. He just had to.

* * *

**17****th**** May 2012, Woodbury, Senoia, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

Pain. It was a constant feeling Hermione had experienced since her arrival at Woodbury, thanks to the self proclaimed Governor of the town. Hermione had just called him on his title for being a narcissistic wannabe Governor, who wouldn't know politics, if it bit him in the arse. It hadn't been the smartest move on Hermione's end. The consequences were another round of being a punching bag for the monster. She had felt a rib or two break during her punishment, which made breathing a little bit harder.

Another foolish move on Hermione's part was that she had tried to make another escape attempt yesterday night, when she believed that everyone was asleep and gone. She used wandless magic to free herself, even though she felt exhausted and barely had any strength left. Hermione had grabbed her wand on the table, as soon as she was free and she _Stupefy_-ed the guard outside the door. She even made it to the second floor, until some of those other guards saw her. Hermione took off and ran, looking for a way out, but one guard immediately shouted about her escape, alerting the others. For a brief moment, Hermione wished she _Stupefy_-ed the man before he could have warned the others. She blamed it on the exhaustion and pain she felt.

Just as she had thought to find an exit, a man with a scarf over his head caught her. Hermione had tried to fight and scream, to call out for help, hoping that someone would hear her and help, but to no avail. The man simply clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her back up to the attic.

The Governor had been furious at Hermione and punished her more than ever. She had tried to fight back, but without her wand and barely left any strength for magic, Hermione was powerless against him. She was exhausted and the pain he inflicted to her had made her quickly weak and unable to move.

After he finished, with a last kick to her abdomen, as she lay on the ground clutching her head in pain, he simply pulled her up and bound her wrists on each arm chair. But it didn't end there. The Governor pulled a chair up and sat in front of her and began to break almost every finger on both hands. Following the torturous session, he offered Hermione medical treatment, if she gave him what he wanted, by creating the serum. But worst of all, she watched helplessly as he broke her wand in front of her, before he left the room. She saw how the inner core went to ashes and noted that only she had seen this magical feed of her wand.

Seeing her wand breaking, felt as if a part of her broke too, but strangely it gave her strength not to give in and more determined to fight him.

Since then, she had been watched by one of his men. It was the next day, when Hermione could hear from the small roof window opening a party going on. She could hear people laughing and talking, probably not feeling the slightest bit of fear for their outside world.

Even the man watching her was eating a burger and drinking in front of her, well aware of the fact that Hermione hadn't eaten anything today yet. The man was giving Hermione the creeps, with his leering stare. But Hermione ignored him and her own growing hunger and thirst. She was only getting one ration a day, just barely enough for an adult, but she had a lot less for way longer time. Another means to make her give in, but she would be able to endure it.

The door suddenly opened and the man with the knife hand showed his face. Merle, as she had found out later.

"Everythin' alrigh' in here?"

"Yeah, all's good."

"Good. Good. Go check out the cages. I'll stay here."

"But the Governor said,-"

"And I said, go check out the cages, Crowley," Merle almost growled at the man, who with a last glance at Hermione stood up and left. Merle walked into the room, with a drink in his left healthy hand.

"Well, hello to you too, kitten. How ya feelin'?"

But when Hermione stayed silent, he sighed and said, "Stubborn woman, don' think that'll help ya much here."

He crossed the room and held up cup of a drink before her. "Want a bit?"

Hermione gulped and forced herself not to lean in and drink from the offered cup. The last thing she needed was to be drugged by them. As if he could read her thoughts, he said, "Don' worry, no roofies in there."

And to prove his point, took a sip from the drink and when he held it towards Hermione, she didn't hesitate to drink from it. She almost moaned as the cool lemonade went down her throat. Merle stayed uncharacteristically silent, as she finished the cup.

"You know, don't think I've ever seen a woman so stubborn like you. Why do ya this to yourself, huh? Why not just give it to the Governor?"

"Because he is a monster," Hermione said not hiding her disgust at the man.

"Ain't we that all by now?"

"No, there are still good people out there."

"Hate to burst your bubble, kitten, this ain't a world for good people anymore."

Hermione stayed silent after that and watched as he was replaced by another man. She turned her gaze down to her lap, trying to regain some strength by resting, even if it was too hot to rest. Her thoughts drifted towards Teddy and Jon. Hopefully, they were safe and Harry was on his way to find them.

She didn't know how long she had slept, when suddenly the door shut down and woke her. She noted, from the small window on the roof at the far side, that it was already dark outside. As she looked at the door, she watched as the Governor walked in, followed by the Hispanic and Afro-American man.

"I heard that you were a good girl, today. Hopefully, you can come to like my hospitality," he shrugged with a little smile and added, "it could clearly improve though, depending on your decision that is."

Hermione grimaced and looked away, until suddenly a hand forcefully grabbed her chin and moved it to face her attacker.

"It's impolite to look away when your hosts talks to you."

Hermione only glared at him and chose not to say anything.

The Governor only smiled further, and moved his hand slowly from her chin to her neck.

"Such strength… such… defiance in a small package like you. I would have thought that someone like you would have given in by now. Any man would have accepted my offer, but not you," he added with an afterthought, as his hands travelled to her collarbone towards her chest. Hermione focused on her breathing, staying strong and look unfazed. She didn't want to give this sociopath bastard the satisfaction for inflicting fear in her.

"I think I like the idea of breaking you. Make you bend to my will," his voice dropped, while his hand moved down her chest towards her breasts. Touching them over the shirt.

"You should consider yourself lucky that rape isn't my thing. I'm sure that some of my men wouldn't mind it. They would take their turns with you, play out all their dirty fantasies, until their hunger is sated," the thought made Hermione freeze in terror, but she willed her body not to shake in fear, by trying to move her broken finger, creating a sharp pain that took her mind off the imagine the Governor just planted.

"On the other hand," the Governor went on nonchalantly still in his deep voice, "giving those men a taste of you, permission to rape, it could unchain their inner demon, like a beast out for more blood and I would be left to sate their hunger."

He finally dropped his hand from her breast and sat in front of her. "Like I do with the killings. I sate their blood lust and everyone is happy."

Hermione's heart was racing at the man before her. The longer she was in his presence of this sick monster, the more she came to fear him. He was dangerous, a ticking time-bomb.

"Instead, I will have to convince you the old way," he said casually, as he pulled a knife from the side of his leg and stabbed her in her thigh. Hermione screamed at the sudden pain, which made the Governor only laugh in reaction. He made a hand motion to someone behind him, and the Hispanic man moved forward and put a cloth around her mouth, binding it tightly.

"So, will you now give me the cure, Dr. Granger?"

Hermione took hasty breaths through her nose, blinking away the tears in her eyes and shook her head. She knew that if she gave him any of the information, he would kill her and the cure would be lost for everyone. He wouldn't get it to the population, as he kept promising. No, Hermione knew that there were far more selfish reasons behind it. He twisted the knife in her leg, making the blade hit her hipbone. It caused her to scream out more in pain, which was muffled by the mouth gag.

He sighed dramatically and said, "Such strength. Pity that it won't help you."

He pulled out the knife, only to stab her on the other leg, making her scream even more. Tears began to fall heavily, as she tried to breath through her nose.

"Cause in the end, Dr. Granger, I will get what I want," he told her with a malicious grin.

* * *

**18****th**** May 2012, Somewhere in Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

The view that greeted him, as he flew over the places, was the same. Everything was just the same. Deserted places, burned out cars, everything was just destroyed and nothing was left anymore. Except for the undead walking around, trying to find anything else to kill. A view of nightmares.

Harry kept his eyes on his surroundings, which became easier since his broom began to fly slower than usual. He should have probably maintained it regularly and taken care of it, instead of just hiding it into his magical backpack for so long. There was nothing he could do about it and as long as it flew, he was fine with it.

His thoughts got cut short as he heard screams not far from him. The screams were joined by shouts and a baby screaming. Harry looked frantically around himself, until he spotted a family outside a grocery store, surrounded by a dozen or more of those undead things. Two men put the woman with the baby in between them. Without thinking much about it, he flew down and cancelled the spell around himself, as soon as he landed. He shrunk the broom swiftly and put it in his bag. He pulled out his gun and begun to kill the undead fast and swiftly. The two men looked frantically around, until one of them pointed at Harry.

A few minutes later, the last of the undead fell to the ground, and the only sound left were the cries of the baby. Harry walked slowly towards the tense family and lowered the gun to his side, while he put his free hand in the air.

"Is everyone alright?"

The eldest man of the group, probably the father spoke in Spanish, which Harry didn't understand.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak Spanish. Anyone knows English?"

"Me," the woman suddenly spoke up, with a heavy accent. "I speak a little."

Harry nodded and smiled a little, while he stood a little further away, not to appear as a threat.

"Is everyone ok? Anyone hurt?"

The woman swiftly translated Harry's word into Spanish, before she answered him in English, "No, we ok. We want food, then…" She pointed towards the unmoving bodies around them.

"Gracias Senior," the elderly man said, with a nod towards him.

Harry smiled in return. "You're welcome. Do you need any help?"

The woman translated again and Harry waited for the three adults to finish their talking. It looked like they were wary of strangers, which was a good thing especially in these days. Harry just waited patiently and looked around for any danger.

"We like help, senior," the boy suddenly spoke up.

Harry nodded, and pointed at the store. "Did you find anything inside?" At their confused looks, he spoke simpler, "Food there, no?" And pointed towards the store behind them, the woman shook her head at Harry's question.

The family moved aside and let Harry see that someone had really put a chain around the store's door. He shook his head in disbelief at the sight and slowly moved forward and until he reached the door. The small family had moved aside, still a little wary of Harry it appeared, as they put more distance between him, but Harry didn't let it bother him. He looked inside the glass door, but couldn't see anything due to the lack of light inside the shop. He pulled his gun out and knocked with the hilt of his gun against the door several times. Harry noted that the man looked confused and the woman a little worried at the loud noise, since her child had finally calmed down.

Harry repeated the knocking a second time and the elderly man became impatient. He spoke to Harry and he didn't have to understand the language to know that the man wanted to know what Harry was doing. That is until the familiar sound of an undead reached their ears and the man went silent. His eyes widened as he dared a look inside the store. There were four undead inside, from what they could detect. It could mean that there are even more of them inside. For a moment he wished that he could simply use his Undead Revealing spell to see how many of them were there, but this would have to do it too.

He silently gestured for the family to move back and wait. They didn't have any real weapons on them, beside a baseball bat and a knife. They would be stay in his way.

After making sure that the family was at a safely distance, he turned back at the door and aimed his gun at the lock. A single shot broke the metal chain, which let it fell to the ground. The undead immediately pushed through the door, walking towards Harry, who swiftly ended their existence by shooting them directly on their head. In the end, five undead had walked out of that store.

Harry told the family to wait, until he made sure that it was safe for them. At their nod, Harry went inside and as soon as the grocery store closed behind him, he pulled out his wand and cast a quick _Vivera Mortis Revelio_ spell on that area, after he made sure that the family wasn't watching. A light wave went through the store. Two red lights were pointed at the far side of the store, Harry quickly walked in that direction and killed the two undead swiftly. He checked the area with the same spell a second time and everything came out clear. He sighed in relief and walked out of the store and towards the family.

As soon as they saw him, the woman spoke worriedly, "Is safe?"

"Yes, it is safe now."

The small family immediately walked into the shop and begun to find all kinds of food, baby formula, canned food, water and anything else they could carry. Harry went to another isle, unseen by the others, while he packed a few cans into his own magical backpack and thanks to the Undetectable Extension and Featherlight charm on it, he would have been able to put the whole store inside and still have more space.

He felt bad that he couldn't give this kind of magical help to them. All he could do is assist them for now, until he had to go back on his journey. Harry looked out and noted that the sky was getting darker, flying at night was too dangerous due to the lack of sight. The last thing he needed was to crash against a tree, or a building.

"Senior?" the woman's voice called him. Harry quickly walked towards the family and saw that she was giving her child a bottle of food.

"Gracias, senior," the woman said with a grateful smile on her tired looking face.

"Your welcome," Harry said, before he pointed at the window of the store and said in simple words, "It's getting dark. Stay here and go tomorrow. It's safer in light."

The woman nodded in understanding and translated for the man, probably the husband. They talked for a bit, until the woman replied to Harry, "We will stay now. Tomorrow, light we go."

"That's good. Is it ok, if I stay here too?" He didn't want to scare them and if they wanted him gone, he could still find a safer place. But Harry wanted to help them, would place a few safety and protection runes on their belongings, the car outside and give them two of his weapons.

"Si, senior. Please stay," the woman answered after talking to her husband.

The rest of the time he spent either talking with them or going out to make sure the area was still safe. This also gave him time to talk a bit with Teddy and Jon, making sure they were safe and alright. He couldn't wait to get back to his own family.

* * *

**18****th**** \- 19****th**** May 2012, Woodbury, Senoia, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

The woman staring back at her was covered in cuts and bruises. Her lips had two diagonal cuts, reaching from the upper lip to the lower, her left side cheek was bruised, as were part of her chin and forehead. It was a deep violet blue coloring. Her left eye side was partly swollen, as were her lip. She had deep dark circles under her eyes. Her skin, of what was left besides the cuts or bruises, looked ghastly pale, almost lifeless. She didn't have to look at the rest of her body to see the repetition of her injuries all over it, with some open flesh wounds. Nothing fatal, but enough to keep her in the state of constant pain.

A knock came from the other side of the washroom door, followed by a familiar voice, "You done there, kitten?" Merle still kept calling her by his given nickname, even though she had tried to make him stop with it. He simply said that it suited her and Hermione was just too tired to fight against something this banal.

"Almost," Hermione croaked out. She tried to turn on the faucet with her right hand index finger and thumb, two of three fingers that hadn't been broken. The sight of her deformed hand made her cringe. Hermione knew if she didn't have magical treatment at her side, this would be permanently damage until a surgeon corrected it, but right now, she had more pressing problems to get through.

She sighed as she finished the painful procedure of washing her hands. She looked back at the mirror, still unable to believe that this was her looking back. She noted a new bruise was forming around her neck, where the Governor had strangled her out of sheer frustration. A moment she had thought that it was finally over, that he would kill her right then and there, but he had apparently stopped after she had lost consciousness. Her throat hurt. There wasn't a body part that didn't feel pain by now.

After she finished, she called out towards the man, who opened the door and helped her, with his remaining arm, to walk back towards her prison room in the attic. A Hispanic man, who had been waiting in the room for their return, had put her back on the chair and bound her wrist on the armrest. At her hiss of pain, his hands became a little gentler.

The door suddenly opened and a man with glasses walked in, holding a black medical bag.

"Hello, I'm… My name is Milton Mamet, I came to… well, I came to examine you, if…if that's alright with you, Dr. Granger?"

Hermione blinked at the nervous man before her and nodded silently. Without a word, Merle left the room, while the Hispanic man moved towards the door and stood against it, watching the scene before them. The shy man walked towards Hermione and sat on the chair in front of her, the spot usually reserved for the Governor.

The nervous man before her opened his bag, pulled out a small flashlight and went over her eyes, before he muttered, "The dilation of the pupils is slow but still functional, which indicates a possible head trauma," and thus went on and made a general assessment of her current state. He cleaned out her open wounds with disinfectant. Hermione only hissed in pain, while he apologized in return.

"I will suggest to the Governor that you get immediate medical treatment, Dr. Granger."

Hermione laughed at the man before her and said, "Don't waste your time, Dr.-"

"Oh, I'm not a doctor. Not really, I'm more of a scientist, a researcher to be exact."

Hermione nodded slowly and continued, "That man won't give me any treatments, not until I give him what he wants."

"Then why don't you? Surely, it wouldn't be worth this much pain. We can create the serum here, in Woodbury and give it to the people here this town and anyone we come across. We could help people. It would be a start."

Hermione chuckled roughly at the man and said, "You don't believe that do you? This man, the Governor, won't give it to everyone. People like him, will select who will be worth to receive the serum and who not. Put the people in classes, give him more power and I won't do that."

The man before her had a disturbed look on his face, but shook his head in the end, "No, you are mistaken. The Governor isn't such a man."

"Are you blind or simply naive, Mr Mamet? Are you aware of what _your_ Governor did to a group of soldiers? A man with good intentions abuses a defenseless woman and clearly enjoys it?"

This time Mamet had no come back. Hermione focused on the man and watched him more closely. If the Governor let him close to Hermione, this could mean that he was someone important to this sick man, probably even a member of his inner circle. But there was just something in his eyes, that made Hermione come to a realization.

"You know something, don't you? Something he plans to do with the serum."

Mamet begun to rummage through his bag and put his utensils back together. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you," he whispered before he stood up and left.

Hermione was left alone with the Hispanic man, until he was replaced by another man, the Afro-American. He never spoke to her and just sat there and waiting to be replaced from his shift. Hermione tried to rest as much as she could on a chair. The only time she wasn't forced to sit in a chair, was when she was allowed to go to the washroom.

It was night, when suddenly, the door opened and the Governor walked in followed by the Hispanic man and Merle.

"Guess what, Dr. Granger?" The Governor begun quite enthusiastically and sat before her, "I found out something quite interesting from your Lieutenant Welles. Do you know what it could be?"

Hermione stayed silent, her heart beating furiously at the possibilities the Lieutenant could have said. Hopefully, he kept Teddy and Jon a secret. Merlin knew what this Governor would do to them if he gets his hands on her kids.

"No? Well, let me enlighten you. He told me that you, Dr. Granger, have not only created a vaccine, but also gave it to many, many people… including to yourself and your Lieutenant Welles. Isn't that exciting?"

Hermione didn't know what to say and waited for him to continue. She hoped that he was still in the dark about her children. It was a small miracle that he hadn't found out so far.

"We are testing Lieutenant's blood right now and my people will find a way to extract the vaccine from it. Don't think we will need you after that."

Hermione burst out laughing at the ludicrous thought. She didn't know why she did it, laughing and provoking a man who enjoyed hurting her. The man's smile vanished, as Hermione said, "You really think that there is a way to extract the vaccine from someone who had been treated with the serum? Who was the genius that came up with the idea? Well, I wish you good luck."

Hermione knew that it would be theoretically possible, but very difficult, almost as difficult as inventing the serum in the first place, but kept that knowledge for herself.

The Governor suddenly slapped her hard on the face, wiping away any amusement on her face.

"I am getting impatient with your attitude, Dr. Granger. We are wasting time. We could have created the cure for my people and for all those who we thought lost. We can change the world. We can do it together."

"What?" Hermione spoke out, ignoring the taste of blood in her mouth when something caught her attention. "Wait, do you think that the serum can cure those already who are infected or been mutated and turned? The serum only works on living breathing uninfected humans. If someone is bitten and turned prior to the treatment, there is no possibility to treat the person successfully."

She was quite surprised at their reaction and a part of her was a little gleeful. Whatever this Governor thought he could achieve with his way of getting the serum, was now history. But her smiled vanished, when his eyes glared at her angrily.

"Then you will create a new serum to heal the biters."

It took Hermione a moment to make sure that she had understood him correctly, and at first, she could only blink at the man.

"How? They are dead! To create a serum, a possible treatment…even if there was a serum for them… there needs to be a functional body, with a working blood flow and intact organs. A transformed person is dead. Lifeless. It's impossible. No body part is functional, except for the brain stem where the infection had created a form of partial resurrection."

He suddenly grabbed both of her broken hands tightly, which made Hermione scream out in pain, as he leaned closer.

"I don't believe you. Your were able to create a cure, than you are able to create something for the turned. I want this cure, Hermione," he said in a dangerous voice.

"It's not possible!" Hermione panted in pain. "Once…Once someone is turned, the person is dead. There is nothing human inside that person anymore. They are dead!"

He suddenly let go of her hands and Hermione gasped in relief, while he walked out of the room. The Afro-American man followed him, while the Hispanic man and Merle looked a little worried. They said something to each other that Hermione couldn't understand.

A moment later, a familiar sound that sent chills down her spine could be heard, right behind the door. The Hispanic man drew his weapon and opened the door, while Merle stood ready to fight, with his raised blade arm. The moment the door opened and what she saw, made her blood freeze in her body. A little girl bound and strapped by a white vest, was snapping with her teeth at everyone, snarling and growling. Merle and the Hispanic man lowered their weapons and took a step back, letting the girl in. They looked confused and even worried at their leader, who wore a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Philip!", a voice she recognized called, "Philip, please. You can't mean that, I can still test it in a different-."

"Why Milton, now you can see what will happen to her, after she gets infected and then you can experiment with her blood."

"I-I- Philip, I didn't mean that you-"

"Oh, come on. Where is your sense of adventure? There is no better time than now."

"Governor, maybe I can-" Merle tried to interfere, but the Governor cut him short, "Not now, Merle.

Hermione's heart was racing furiously against her chest and she could feel herself shake in fear at the sudden realization. She noted that everyone had a look of disbelief written all over their faces, some even fear, but no one said anything or tried to stop the Governor. They simply stood back and watched as he brought the undead child before her.

"Philip, you can't kill her…we-we need her;"

"Oh, don't worry about it. I will just… teach her a little lesson. After what she told us about her serum, this shouldn't much affect her," the Governor said with an evil smile.

As soon as they stood in front of her, the Governor, kneeled down to the tight up undead girl and spoke to her, as if she was capable of understanding him, "Now, Penny, I want you to bite this lady here, because she has been a very naughty girl."

The girl kept biting and fletching her teeth at Hermione, driven by the need to eat.

"Stop it! No!" Hermione shouted, while trying to push herself away from the approaching undead girl, but it was useless. She watched helplessly as the undead girl latched onto her bound wrist with her teeth and bit into it. Hermione screamed in pain and horror.

"PHILIP!" Milton Mamet shouted at the Governor, who seemed to snap out of his daze.

He gently ushered the undead girl away from Hermione, as if it was still a human being. The man gripped the small jawbone and opened the clenched bite on her wrist. Thankfully, she didn't rip any flesh in the process. The undead girl kept fletching and biting at Hermione, but he moved her away and got the girl out of the room.

Hermione panted and shook all over, while her eyes were fixed on the bite wound. She still couldn't comprehend what just happened. The scientist swiftly crossed the room and kneeled next to Hermione, to examine the injury. He looked pale and quite shaken, when Hermione looked at him. He silently inspected the wound, but didn't say anything.

"You all right there, kitten?" Merle asked, sounding quite shocked as well.

She let her gaze move around the room, until it landed on Merle, but she couldn't say anything. The terror was still deep within her. She noted that the two other men, including Merle, looked visibly startled at her. They didn't say anything else. Didn't do anything to help her and she knew that none of them would help her in the future. She was on her own.

Hermione still panted heavily, as the Governor returned and sat in front of her. Smiling brightly, as if he just didn't let an undead chew on her.

"If you had cooperated as you were repeatedly asked about then we could have avoided taking drastic measures, Dr. Granger, but seeing as you are immune to the biters, this shouldn't be an issue for you. My scientist," he said, quite happily and pointed at Mamet, "will keep an eye on you, while he observes and examines your healing. Since you don't want to come forward with your serum, we will have to do it the hard way and find it for ourselves."

"You are a monster," Hermione croaked out.

If it was possible, his smile only brightened at her accusation, before he slapped his tight and stood up. He ordered Memat, Merle and the Hispanic man to stay behind to watch over her and to keep him informed about her conditions. And then he left with a happy grin on his face, followed by the Afro-American man.

No one said anything for a moment, until Hermione broke it by asking, "And you idiots follow this psychopath?"

They had no response to her. Mamet left the room and returned with a dictating machine, paper, pen and several injections and even a microscope with its equipments. Hermione scoffed at the display and wanted to taunt them for their idiocy, but choose to remain silent. She knew how the antibodies in her body would fight off the infection. Knew the whole process.

Hermione wouldn't tell them anything and knew exactly what they would find out whenever they took a sample of her blood, which will be much less than she did with the equipment she and Walter had available. There was also no way that Mamet could extract anything from her blood in order to create NOVA. It was impossible.

The atmosphere became more tensed with each passing hour. Their eyes stayed on Hermione the whole time, until she couldn't take the silence and stares anymore and said with a scratchy voice, "I won't turn, don't worry. Probably get a low level fever, which will break down in an hour or two."

"It's… It's amazing. That you were able to create something like that," Mamet spoke suddenly in an admiring voice.

"I didn't do it on my own," Hermione said and looked away. She willed herself not to cry. Not now.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Mamet spoke gently, but Hermione ignored him.

Things got quiet from there on. Mamet took blood samples every hour and analyzed it with his microscope. After a while, Hermione just laughed at his attempt, which must have startled both men in the group. It only made Hermione laugh harder. In the back of her mind, she knew she reached the stage, where the body produced the added chemicals, the discovered side effect of the serum and she must admit that she felt a little at peace.

"Is she ok?" Merle asked the scientist.

Hermione stopped laughing and noted that he and everyone else in the room gave her quite the worried look.

"I-I don't know," Mamet stammered nervously.

"Oh, don't worry, she is just fine," Hermione answered, talking to herself in the third person.

Merle turned towards her and looked her up and spoke with his southern drawl, "You sure ya're alright, kitten. You sound kinda stoned."

Hermione snorted at Merle's choice of words, instead of answering him, she simply said, "I've been better."

"You sure that ya little drug works for ya?" he asked and walked closer to her, something like concern was written over his face, which she thought must have imagined it. No one cared for her here. She was on her own. They had just proved it to her.

"Yes, it will work. I guess I have to thank the Governor's daughter for it?" Hermione chuckled to herself, at the situation she was in and said, "Now everything makes sense."

"The Governor has good intentions," Mamet begun and Hermione cut him short.

"Good intentions? Is that why he just let his dead daughter chew on me? Is that the reason why he slaughtered a whole group of soldiers? A scientist? They were my friends!" Hermione shouted at them. All trace of humor gone, as she looked at the two men in the room, who had been part of the ambush. "They risked their lives for Dr. Harris and I to reach Washington, to help and cure everyone on this bloody planet and you say that monster of a Governor has good intentions?"

Hermione went on as an overwhelming sadness came upon her, "But you went on and killed those people. Destroyed our hope and chances to make things right again. Those were good men you've killed," Hermione said looking at Merle and the Hispanic man.

"People who have had families, wives, children and friends waiting for them to return back home." Hermione turned and looked at the scientist, who had so easily defended the psychopath and to his credit, looked away at her words.

"They were good people. Brave and loyal. One of them had even so much trust in me that he was one of the first people who had signed up for the trial of a serum, that had only been created two days ago and while it theoretically had a 99% successes rate, that was only in cell cultures. He signed up for it, knowing full well that he could die at the table. He was an army soldier, not even from the National Guard. He signed up for it because he wanted to protect me…. He told me that on our journey."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears at the thought of Corporal Brady.

"He liked me, you see… and I began to like him too. I thought that once we were in Washington, after I reproduced the serum and left the huge responsibility and pressure finally behind me that I would accept his courtship, but it is too late now. It's my fault that he died that day too. If he hadn't felt that way about me… if I had just put a rest to his feelings, maybe he wouldn't have volunteered to join us to Washington." The unspoken possibility of a different outcome for Corporal Brady was left unsaid.

She felt tears falling down her cheek. It was the first time, since the loss of her friends that she allowed herself to grieve a little.

"Everyone is just gone," Hermione whispered into the room.

"Is Lieutenant Welles even alive?" she asked after a moment and looked at Merle, whose face hardened, then to Mamet, who looked down a moment, before he uttered gently, "No, I'm sorry."

Hermione looked away, as another set of tears fell. She nodded silently and asked, "Since when?"

"Yesterday."

"Did the Governor kill him? Was this the reason, how he had discovered that Welles wouldn't turn? Maybe to prove Welles' words about the serum? To see if it worked?"

This time he didn't answer her, which confirmed her theory.

More tears fell, which she wasn't able to brush away.

"You all serve a monster, who turns you all into one as well and you aren't even aware of it," Hermione stated gently. She could feel the side effect of NOVA leaving her body.

"Would watch what ya sayin' around people, kitten," Merle said slowly.

"What will he do to me that he hasn't already done?"

"Still too many possibilities there, kitten."

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. Things will become more intense.


	15. Chapter 14 - Saving Knights

A/N: I want to thank again for everyone who follows and put this story on their favorite list. Thank you so much. I also want to thank everyone who took the time to leave a review. Thank you so much. It makes me so happy to see the positive response to this story and that so many like it. Another big thank you goes to uoduck, who beta read this chapter and White Squirrel to making sure that all looks fine in the scientific field. Thank you both so much!

So, after a big thanks to everyone, here is the next chapter. I hope you will like it :)

* * *

**Chapter 14 - Saving Knights**

* * *

**19****th**** May 2012, Oakland Rd, Gay, Georgia, USA**

**Teddy**

He couldn't stop thinking about his aunt. The worry was eating at him. Teddy kept thinking about the things he could have done to save her, make some sort of distraction or even secretly attacked the muggles, but then there was Jon to think about and he knew that he couldn't simply leave him behind unprotected. Right now, Jon was the only family he had and he would do what his Aunt Mione asked him of; stay safe and protect Jon.

Teddy sighed and looked at the silent mirror in his hand. He hoped that his dad would find them soon, so that they could get his Aunt Mione back. Jon kept asking about her every few hours, wanting to know where she was and Teddy tried to answer him as best as he could, or distract him with his magic, by changing his appearance or showing him a picture of his birthday, where his family was on it. Right now the toddler was looking at the window and waving at something at the distance.

Curious about it, Teddy walked towards Jon, and asked, "What's there Jon?"

He followed Jon's pointed finger, he saw a woman with a sword, strapped on her back stumbling around. At first, he thought that she was one of those undead people, but when he looked closer he noted that she alive. The woman was looking around watchfully, from the building, between the cars and then suddenly crouched behind one large vehicle. He heard then a car approaching, which must have been the reason why the woman hid herself. He wondered if she was being followed or in danger.

Both, Jon and Teddy watched a boy and a girl getting out of a red car. They pulled out their muggle weapons, similar to his dad's and quickly looked around and when they noted that everything was safe, the girl said, "Clear outside."

Afterwards she walked towards the boy and both kissed one another. Teddy made a face at the display without realizing it, but still continued to watch the couple. His eyes drifted towards the woman with the ninja sword, who was still behind the car. For a moment, Teddy thought that she would maybe attack the couple, but instead she just waited and stayed hidden.

Teddy kept observing the couple. The Asian boy got a huge metal cutter out of the car, also held a small flashlight in his mouth and went towards the little grocery shop, which had been locked previously. He swiftly cut through the metal chains and as soon as he opened the store's door, the Asian boy and girl ducked down, just as a flock of birds flew out. Teddy wondered where they had come from, while he continued to watch the couple. The Asian boy went in, while the girl stood outside, standing guard and holding another flashlight, pointing it at the store..

It was the first time Teddy had seen people since his escape with Jon. He didn't plan to show himself. Especially not after what happened just a few days ago.

Everything seemed fine and the couple was about to leave, until a man appeared on the other side of the street. Teddy immediately pulled Jon into his arms and held him tightly, as he recognized the man. He was one of the men from the group who had attacked them. He had seen him, when Teddy had turned around to look back towards his aunt, after he was safely hidden in the woods. Teddy had immediately noticed the metal arm, with a long sword attached on it.

The man dropped the gun he just had. He walked closer and wanted to greet them, but the couple still pointed their guns at them. The woman, behind the car, looked tense and Teddy noted that her hand moved closer to her sword, but otherwise didn't move to show herself.

Teddy could make out a few words they spoke and suddenly, the dangerous man pulled another weapon from his back and shot at the couple, who ducked quickly. Jon begun to scream, turned away from the window and clutched onto Teddy. He was glad that the wards were up, if not they would have noticed them due to Jon's cries.

Teddy tightened his arms around Jon, as he looked outside the window. The ninja lady was still hiding behind a car, while the Asian boy went around their own car only to see the man holding his girlfriend on the ground. Teddy could just barely see how the man held a gun to her face, while holding her tightly against himself. The Asian boy looked angry and wanted him to drop the gun, but the man with the sword arm didn't do it and the Asian boy dropped his gun in the end. Teddy could barely make out the words they were spoken and then the Asian boy, whose name was Glenn got in the car, as did the other two and drove off. They soon disappeared from the street.

The ninja lady behind the car stood slowly up and Teddy knew that she must know who this man was. The way she had looked at the man with the metal arm said as much. She must know where they had taken his Aunt Mione. It was his chance to find her. He knew he would be breaking his aunt's and dad's promise, but he had to do something.

Teddy, who was still holding Jon in his arms, made a rash decision and walked towards the door, with his wand hidden away in his forearm in the wand holster. He wanted to put Jon on one of the barber chairs, but he just clung harder and cried, "No, go!"

"Okay, Jon. It's ok, I won't go," he said gently, as he moved towards the door and opened it.

The woman swiftly turned around and made a move to grab her sword, until she realized what she was seeing and hearing. Her eyes widened at the sight of them. Jon had stopped crying and looked at the woman curiously, while he sucked on his thumb.

"Hi, ninja lady… uhm… do you need any help?" Teddy asked lamely. He noted how dirty she was, covered in blood and gores. He tried not gag or make a face at the smell that came from her.

The woman stared at Teddy and Jon blankly for a moment, before she moved closer to them, still carrying the shopping basket, which the couple had dropped off. Teddy was tempted to take a step back, but instead stood his ground.

"Are you two alone here?" she asked after a while. Teddy noted that her eyes tried to stay away from Jon, but they still kept drifting towards the toddler.

"Yes, we… we got attacked by a group of men. The man, the one with the metal sword's hand, was one of them. They took my aunt, his mother," Teddy said and pointed at Jon in the end.

"You were from the military convoy?"

Teddy was startled at her unexpected question, and asked in a surprised voice, "How did you know that?"

The woman grabbed her backpack and rummaged through it, until she found what she was looking for. It was Jon's blue pacifier.

"Where did you find that?" Teddy asked as he gently took the pacifier from the woman's outstretched hand. After he made sure that it was clean, he gave it to Jon who had tried to reach for it the moment he saw it and instantly put it in his mouth. Teddy had been looking for it through all his bags, but had never found it and believed to have lost during the attack.

"Found it in one of the military trucks from where I was taken."

"You know where the place is? Have you seen my aunt? She is a doctor, a scientist, she is British too and has curly brown hair and-"

"No, I haven't seen anyone by that description," she cut in.

"But… but she has to be there! They took her. We… we need to go that place. They took these two people too," he said before he pointed at the bag on the ground, filled with baby formula. "And it looks like they have a baby. They… they need our help."

"Whoa, hold on, we just can't go there."

"Why not?"

"Because they are heavily warded, they have weapons and are really dangerous."

"Then what are we going to do? Just leave them there?"

"We? Since when did we become a we?"

"Since you know where my aunt is," Teddy answered stubbornly, before he took a deep breath and continued more calmly, "She… she is like my mum and Jon's mum." He pointed with his head to the toddler in his arm, who had rested his head on Teddy's shoulder. "We can't just leave her there… please."

The woman was silent for a moment. She must have seen the determination in his eyes, as she sighed and said, "Fine. But we won't be going to that place," and when Teddy was about to protest, she quickly explained, "It is too dangerous to go back there. We will go to the place those two came from and see what kind of people we are dealing with and then, only then will we reveal what we know. Understood?"

"Yes, ok. Let me just grab my stuff," Teddy said, as he walked back in and placed Jon on the ground. He quickly grabbed his bag, Jon's toys, clothes and the food they had. He felt guilty about leaving the safe place, even though he had promised his dad that they would stay put. He knew that his dad would be able to find him anywhere with magic.

He saw that the woman slowly limped into the room and looked around.

"Good place you've found."

Teddy only nodded in return and after he made sure that he didn't forget anything, he went and pulled gently Jon back into his arms.

"Do you have a weapon? Something to protect yourself with?"

"No," he said and watched as the woman went towards the barber dresser and pulled out several drawers, until she pulled out a really large pair of scissors.

She held it out for him, which he slowly took, while she said, "Here, keep them close and on you at all time."

Teddy nodded and followed the woman out, she grabbed the shopping bag on the ground and began to walk towards the direction the couple had come from. Teddy looked confused at the woman and said, "Why don't we just take a car?"

The woman looked at him for a moment before she limped back towards the cars. She looked through the window of the vehicles, until she stopped next to a black one with four doors. She broke the antenna of another car and begun to open the black car. She put the antenna between the window shield. Teddy stood open mouthed and watched the woman break into the car. She then opened the door, clapped down the windscreen shutter and the keys fell into her hands, before she looked back at Teddy.

"Bloody hell!" Teddy exclaimed impressed.

"Get in," she said and sat into the drivers seat, after she put the shopping bag and her backpack into the backseat. Teddy walked around the car and sat next to her, with Jon in his lab.

"Buckle up," she said, as she started up the car. Teddy grabbed the seatbelt and fastened it across Jon and himself. The toddler looked around excitedly, while he sucked on his pacifier.

With his heightened senses the smell of the woman so close to him, made want him to claw his own nose out. He breathed through his mouth the whole time, which only helped a little.

The drive was silent, until the ninja lady asked, "How did you escape?"

"What?" Teddy asked confused.

"The attack. How did you two get away?"

Teddy was silent for a moment as he looked around. He saw a few undead in the woods and fields, as they drove off.

"My aunt she distracted them, giving us a chance to escape. I ran with Jon into the woods. We hid there and saw how they took my aunt into one of their cars, took the other military cars as well and drove off. They left the… bodies on the ground. After that, I carried Jon through the fields, until we found the barber shop. We have been there ever since."

He chose not to say anything about his dad coming to find him. It would only raise more questions.

"And Jon stayed quiet the whole time?"

Her suspicious tone, made him look back at her. His mind was trying to come up with an explanation, but then he noticed the prison before them and instead decided to remain silent.

The woman slowed down and stopped before the fences of the large prison. There were a small group of undead around and Jon began to cry at the sight of them. Teddy removed the seatbelt around them and cradled the crying toddler against his chest, hiding the view from him, while trying to calm him down, but to no avail. The undead had quickly surrounded the car and began to hit the windows, moaning and fletching their rotten teeth as they tried to get to them. It was the first time he had been this close to the undead, and he had to force his magic not to act out and change his appearance.

"Stay in the car," the woman said before she quickly opened the door and removed her sword. She killed one undead after another, but soon, Teddy noted that she was getting slower and stumbled more, while the people at the fence were watching them. A boy with a hat said something to the man, who was holding a gun, before he pointed at Teddy and Jon in the car. They looked between the three of them and for a moment Teddy thought they wouldn't help them, but then the fences opened and the man and even the boy hurried out and shot the remaining undead around them. The man grabbed the woman and half carried half dragged her back to the car. He told the boy to go back behind the fences, which he did, but he still kept an eye on his surroundings. If Teddy hadn't been so shaken and feeling a mix of panic and fear, he would have admired their abilities.

The man opened the backseat and stared for a moment at the shopping bag, until he snapped out of it and put the lady on the seat. The man took the driver's seat and with a quick glance at Teddy and Jon, drove towards the now open gate of the prison. The boy with the hat swiftly closed the gate behind them.

They remained silent, as he drove, but he kept glancing back and forth between him, Jon and the unconscious lady behind them from the mirror. He stopped after he passed the second gate. Teddy's heart beat furiously, as the situation he got himself became clearer.

"Were you bitten?" the man finally asked staring at him and Jon, who had quieted down, but was still hiccuping from crying.

"No, we aren't bitten, sir," Teddy answered and watched the man leave the car, to only open the backseat. Teddy saw an elderly man and a blond girl, carrying a bundle in her arms, standing before the car. He wasn't sure what he should do, as an elderly man just walked towards them, with crutches. He noted then that his foot was missing. A blond girl with the bundle, a baby, in her arms was following him. Both stood before the car, smiling at Teddy and appeared to be nice people.

Teddy gulped nervously and opened the door slowly.

"Well, hello there," the old man smiled kindly at them, as did the blond girl.

"I'm Hershel and this is my daughter Beth."

Teddy slowly walked out of the car, holding Jon tightly in his arms, "I'm… I'm Teddy and this is Jon."

"Come on, let's get you both inside," he said kindly and Teddy followed him. He glanced back and saw that the man supported the ninja lady, helped her up the stairs while the boy carried the shopping basket with the baby formula.

Once inside they put the woman close to the entrance and the man said, "She's not coming in the cell blocks, nor are these two."

"Rick, they are children!" the old man protested at the other man's words. Teddy stood at the far side, with Jon still in his arms.

The blond girl gave the man a bottle of water, who then trickled a few drops of it on the ninja woman's face, until she woke up. The man then asked who she was, but she suddenly made a beeline for her sword. The man grabbed her and kicked the sword away and tried to calm her down, "We're not gonna hurt you unless you try something stupid first, all right?"

Suddenly, another man walked towards them. He looked quite surprised at them. "Who the hell are these people?"

But the man, holding down ninja lady ignored him and turned back to the woman on the floor, and asked again, "You wanna tell us your name?"

Ninja lady didn't and stayed quiet.

The new man called the man again, who was trying to talk to the woman and left to go inside. They took the woman's backpack, sword and the shopping basket. Luckily, they ignored Teddy's own backpack.

The man, who had helped her in, said to the woman holding up her sword, "We'll keep it safe and sound. The doors are all locked. Y'all will be safe here. And we can treat that," pointing at the woman's injured leg.

"I didn't ask for your help," the woman answered tightly.

"Doesn't matter," he said and turned towards Teddy and Jon.

"I'll get you something to eat and drink, but for now you stay here, alright?"

"Yes, sir," Teddy answered politely. He frowned a little, but didn't say anything.

"Do you have any weapons on you that I should be aware of?"

The man looked intently into his eyes and Teddy knew that if he lied and hid the muggle weapon that the man would only find it anyway. He still had his wand, hidden in his wand holster on his forearm, and if he should need to defend Jon and himself, he would. Without saying anything, Teddy pulled out the long sharp scissor, which he had put into his lower panst pocket and gave it to the man, who took it slowly.

"I'll be back soon," he assured them more kindly this time.

Teddy watched as they closed the prison doors behind them, as they walked into a cell block. Everyone of them hugged a woman, with short grey hair and were really happy to see her. Teddy could make out what they were saying and talking and from the things he heard, he got a feeling that they were nice people. They gave the baby to the woman, who smiled down at the bundle, before she hugged it closely.

"They look nice," Teddy said to the ninja lady, who watched them with a gentler look.

After a while, the man, followed by another man who carried a crossbow and Hershel, walked back towards them.

The man, who had helped them spoke to the ninja lady, "We can tend to that wound for you. Are these kids with you?"

"Found them."

"Well, if they want to, they can stay here," he said looking at Teddy and Jon, "but for you, we will give you a little food and water, and then send you on your way."

"You can't do that!" Teddy spoke up, getting the attention of everyone.

"And why not?"

Teddy turned towards the woman and said, "Just tell her what happened, ninja lady."

The man with the crossbow snorted in the back.

"Tell me what?" the man asked and looked at Teddy, then to the woman, who glared a little at him before she turned to look back at the man.

"The supplies were dropped by a young Asian guy with a pretty girl," the woman finally spoke.

"What happened?"

"Were they attacked?" the old man asked worriedly.

"They were taken."

"Taken? Taken by who?" the man asked.

"By the same son of a bitch who shot me."

"And who took my aunt," Teddy cut in.

"What?" Rick asked confused.

"My aunt, she is a scientist. We were traveling with a group of soldiers to Washington," Teddy told them. "We were waiting for some people to meet us, but they never came. A group of men showed up, saying they wanted to help, but then they just attacked us…they… they killed everyone. My aunt, she distracted them to make Jon and I escape from them. I saw how they took her. The man who attacked your people, was one of those who attacked us a few days ago."

"How did you two survive?" the old man asked.

"I walked us into the town-street not far from here, the same place the couple went to get the baby food. We hid in a shop. That's when we saw what happened and found ninja lady."

"You know where they took them, don't you?" the man turned towards the woman and asked her.

After a moment she said, "There is a town. Woodbury. About 75 survivors. I think they were taken there."

"A whole town?" the man asked surprised. It even surprised Teddy.

"It's run by this guy who calls himself The Governor," she said, not hiding her disgust, as she continued, "Pretty boy, charming, Jim Jones type."

Teddy didn't know who Jim Jones was, but kept silent, as he listened.

"He got muscle?" the man with the bow asked next.

"Paramilitary wannabes. They have armed entries on every wall."

"You know a way in?"

"The place is secure from the walkers, but we could slip our way through."

"How'd you know how to get here?" the man asked after a moment.

The woman answered honestly and said, "They mentioned a prison, said which direction it was in, said that it was a straight shot."

The man looked at Teddy, who confirmed her words with a quick nod of his.

"This is Hershel, the father of the girl who was taken. He'll take care of that," he said and pointed at her leg, before he turned towards Teddy, he gestured for Teddy to follow him, which he did. He held Jon's hand, as they walked together next to the man and noted suddenly a penetrating pungent smell coming off of him. He couldn't place the smell, but there was something familiar about it. The man with the crossbow, followed them behind. They stopped a little further back, as he gestured for them to sit down. Teddy took the seat furthest away, and pulled Jon on his lap.

The man sat two seats beside him and asked, "So, you haven't met the woman before?"

"Ninja lady? No. Saw her today for the first time."

"And you just followed her?" the man with the bow asked incredulously.

Teddy looked at him and explained, "They took my aunt. It's been five days now and I have been on my own, caring for Jon ever since. She knew where they took my aunt… I had to take my chances."

The man nodded silently, before he said, "You know that the world has changed, that people have changed and it could be possible that your aunt isn't-"

"No!" he cut the man off, before he could finish his sentence, "No, she is still alive! They wouldn't hurt her!" Teddy was sure of it. He knew his aunt was someone important and they wouldn't hurt her.

The man looked confused at him and the crossbow man. He turned back and asked Teddy, "Why do you say that?"

Teddy took a deep breath and explained, "She is a scientist, as I said, and she and another scientist… he was killed that day… they-"

A sudden series of shots came from outside, cutting off Teddy's words. Jon began to cry and turned towards Teddy, who immediately wrapped him in his arms. Both men jumped swiftly walked towards the exit. The man, who pulled out a gun, ordered the kid with the hat, whose name was Carl, to stay put. The ninja lady, wanted her sword, but the man ignored her and left the building.

The shots continued and Teddy's heart was racing at the thought that the evil men had found them.

* * *

**19****th**** May 2012, Woodbury, Senoia, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

After Merle left around dawn, Mamet and another guard, who replaced the Hispanic man, were the only ones in the room. Mamet, the self-proclaimed expert in the field of biters, as everyone seemed to call them, actually believed that there was a possibility to reach the subconsciousness of an undead. Hermione had laughed at the ludicrous thought and called him on that, which he seemed not to appreciate though.

If Hermione hadn't been so exhausted and in pain, she would have taken the time to explain it to him, why his 'therapeutic' approach wouldn't work. In the end, she just didn't care and let him be.

Mamet kept taking her blood the whole night, almost every hour, until late in the morning, approximately eight hours from the point of her exposure to an undead. The small fever was long gone, as were the other symptoms of the side effect caused by NOVA, after the first hours. Mamet analyzed her blood with the little equipment he had brought up in the attic, as well as another series of tests were run at his lab, for whatever purpose. Hermione didn't know for what purpose he did it, not that she cared to ask him about it in the first place. Hermione wasn't sure if he could even analyze blood samples properly. She didn't believe that he had a fully functional lab at his disposal, much less the knowledge or experience to completely understand or achieve what he was looking for.

The Governor showed up in the morning as well and was quite happy about Hermione's condition, especially after Mamet said that he could work out something with her blood. That he was able to able to select the needed antibodies to recreate her serum. Hermione was too tired to respond and correct him this time.

A few hours later, Mamet left, saying he has some work to do. They left her inside in the room with a guard, a younger man around his mid twenties.

Since then, no one seemed to bother her any longer. It was the most peacefulness day since her arrival and she secretly wondered why that was the case. It was around noon, when Merle showed up, wearing a band aid over the bridge of his nose.

"How are ya holdin' up, kitten?"

"I'm still alive, if that's what you are asking," Hermione answered tiredly.

Merle only nodded at her, before he turned towards the guard and said, "The Governor and I will be busy for the day. You keep good watch on the pretty lady here. Get her some food and drink, got that?"

"Yes, sir," the young man answered respectfully.

Hermione was surprised at Merle's words, but choose to remain quiet.

"Guess it's ya lucky day, kitten," Merle said in a cheery voice before he left the room.

* * *

**19****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

Without hesitation, Harry quickly shot one undead after another. He quickly moved forward, while he walked determinately towards the prison. Harry's heart was racing, as he was filled with worry for his children, especially, after he realized where his tracking spell had led him to. Seeing the prison made his mind race with all kinds of scenarios and the situation they could have been in. Right now, he would consider anyone as a threat who took his children and if anyone should have harmed them, he would raise hell on them.

Harry's wand had been quickly put back into his invisible wand holster, after he had spotted the prison. Easy accessible but not visible. He needed to determinate the situation first before he acted.

As he moved closer to the prison gates, he saw two men with guns heading his way. One of them wore a crossbow on his shoulder. Harry kept shooting at the undead around him, until none of them were standing anymore, before he aimed his gun at the two muggles. He glared at them while waiting for them to get closer.

"Who the hell are you?" the front man asked, while the other silently aimed his weapon at him.

"My name is Agent Potter, I'm looking for two children. Two boys, a teenager and a toddler and I know you have them here," Harry stated.

"What are they to you and how the hell did you find us?" the man asked, still aiming his gun at Harry.

"I'm their father and I have a tracking device on them, which lead me to this place," Harry answered before his voice hardened, "If you have harmed them in any way, I will kill you and make it very painful in the process."

Both men watched him silently, before the same man spoke up again, "You will wait here and we will see if what you're telling is true."

The man looked at the other, who bore the crossbow and told him to get the boys. Even as the man walked back in, Harry and the man still aimed their guns at each other. Quietly waiting, as a moment later, the man walked back out, along with his sons. Teddy was carrying Jon in his arms and they looked a little scared, but healthy.

"Thank Merlin," Harry breathed out in relief as his whole body began to shake in relief.

"DAD!" Teddy screamed and picked up his space towards Harry. Jon kept calling, "Daddy!", while Teddy walked closer to them.

"This your father?" the man asked, who still aimed his gun at Harry.

"Yes, sir."

"Are you ok, Teddy?" Harry asked suddenly, while his weapon was still up. "Why the bloody hell are you here in the first place?"

"I'm sorry, dad. Something happened and… and one of these man who had attacked us…. He was there and than there was this ninja lady and she knew who they were, and the bad man with the metal arm took two of his people," he pointed at the man with the gun, and continued, "and ninja lady knew where they took them and-and she did know where they took Aunt Mione."

Harry starred opened mouthed at his son, before he exclaimed rather confused, "What?", before he lowered his gun slowly, which the man before him and the other further behind quickly followed suit.

"If I let you in, I will have to unarm you," the man before him spoke up, before Teddy had the chance to explain again, "I won't let you armed inside."

Harry looked intently at the man, before he nodded, "I understand."

If he needed to protect his children, he still had his wand on him, hidden away in his invisible and undetectable wand holster.

Harry looked around and after he made sure that there wasn't any close undead around, put his weapon and a duffle bag on the ground. The man opened the gate and walked towards Harry. The man with the crossbow backed him up the whole time. There was something familiar about these two, but he couldn't seem to place their faces.

The man walked up towards Harry, gun in his hand, but not aimed at Harry, while he frisked him. He pulled out Harry's wallet and looked at his ID card, before he pocket it into his own pocket. After he deemed him clear, the man grabbed Harry's gun, duffle bag, which he went through and found it filled with guns and ammunition from Fort Polk. He looked surprised at his discovery.

"Where is the tracking device?" the man asked, when he couldn't find it.

"It broke down, after I lost the signal to this location."

"And where is it now?"

"I threw it away," Harry lied easily.

The man turned to look at Harry intently before he said, only for Harry to hear. "Any wrong move, or if you try to attack us, I'll put you down, got that?"

Harry glared back at him and simply said, "That goes for you too."

Both looked intently at each other, before the man mentioned Harry to follow him and as soon as Harry walked through the prison gate, he rushed towards his children, kneeled down and pulled them into a tight hug. Teddy couldn't hide his tears any longer and cried into Harry's shoulder.

"I couldn't help her. They took her, dad…and… and they killed everyone," Teddy cried in earnest in Harry's arms.

"Shh, it will be ok, Teddy. I will get Hermione back. You couldn't have done anything," Harry calmed his son down, as he rubbed his back gently. He noted that both men were watching them and their posture had softened at the display.

"I want to know, what you are doing here Teddy and I want the full story this time," Harry said as he looked at his son.

"We can do that back inside," said the man, who had frisked Harry, before he mentioned for them to follow. Harry quickly picked up Jon from Teddy's arm, as he held Teddy's shoulder while they walked inside the prison. He must admit that it was quite the secure place to stay. It would protect them from the undead and even dangerous people.

The man who led them into the prison explained to the people inside who Harry was, but they stayed wary. A child, even younger than Teddy still held his gun and the way he handled it, only said that he had experience with it.

The man who looked like the leader walked in front of Harry and held out his ID card and read out loud, "Agent Harry James Potter, M.I.5 Agent. The Security Service of H.M. Government of Great Britain. Care to explain what an Agent of Britain is doing here in Georgia?"

Harry gave them the short story on how he had come to be in the USA and had looked for Dr. Granger. He gave them the same explanation he did at Fort Polk.

"Look, I will explain everything to you in more details later, but I need to know what the bloody hell is going on here."

"How do you know about the attack?" the man, apparently the leader, suddenly asked?

"What?" Harry looked confused at the man.

"You said to your kid that it wasn't his fault that they took her and that he couldn't have done anything about it."

Harry looked at the man unblinkingly. He had to admit that the man was quite observant and didn't miss anything. This was a good trait in a leader and the look of it, he had things under control.

"Twelve days ago, the military base in Louisiana, Fort Polk, got attacked by hundreds of undead. I had been away with another unit to get supplies for Dr. Granger's and Dr. Harris' work. The General at the base ordered an evacuation for both scientists, to bring them directly to Washington, to fulfill their mission. Five days ago, we heard the attack over the radio and the last transmission told them that they had Dr. Granger. Taking her with them, wherever that was, but never mentioned Teddy or Jon. We heard everything, until the connection went down. I packed my stuff and went to look for my family, since the General couldn't offer the manpower to find a way to get Dr. Granger…especially, not before he didn't have confirmation of her whereabouts."

Of course, it hadn't happened that way, but it was close to the situation Teddy had told him via mirror call and partly true to the circumstances at the base.

"Wait, you're sayin' that there are still military out there?" the man with the crossbow asked.

"Yes, there is still a functional government, military and working infrastructure out there. It isn't what it used to be, but it still works. Georgia and several other states, mainly major populated areas are in the red zone and deemed as most dangerous, which are lost for now."

"Hold on," the man who appeared to be the leader, spoke up, "you said their names were Dr. Granger and Dr. Harris?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed with a confused voice.

"We met a scientist. He mentioned those two, but believed them to be dead."

Harry's eyes widened in sudden realization, "Of course, I remember you." He looked around the group, recognizing several of them, and realizing that many were missing.

"You were at the CDC facility in Atlanta, with Dr. Jenner."

"How do ya know that?"

"We saw everything. The technicians tried to rebuilt the connection between us and him for months. They would have succeeded, if Jenner hadn't acted the way he did," Harry explained and said more earnestly, "I am glad that you all made it."

"Not all, we lost too many," the man spoke gently.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I hate to cut things short, but we have more pressing matters at hand," an old man spoke up, whose foot was missing.

Harry nodded and turned towards the group, "Tell me what the bloody hell is going on here."

Teddy and the Afro-American woman told them their side of events and planned out what they needed to do to get them all out.

* * *

**19****th**** May 2012, Woodbury, Senoia, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

It had been a quiet day and she really believed Merle's words, until the door opened and the man of her recent nightmares walked in.

"Missed me already?" the Governor asked, after he must have seen her surprised face. Hermione gulped nervously, as he crossed the room and sat in front of her. He turned towards the guard and told him to wait outside. Hermione grew more nervous the longer he stared at her.

"I've been wondering, after I had a little experiment of exploring, if I shouldn't have taken a different approach with you. A more persuasive way, if you want to call it."

He leaned closer and pulled out a small knife. Holding it with the tip under her chin.

"Remember the things I said about taking someone against their will? That it wasn't quite my thing? Well, I seem to have found my taste in such an act after all," he said in a deep voice, as he let the tip of the knife glide almost gently down her throat towards her collar. She could feel the sharpness of it cutting through her skin. She tried not to shake in fear. She could feel a warm liquid go down the same pathway, flowing down her collarbone, soaking her shirt.

She could see the way his eyes followed each movement of the knife. A dangerous almost crazy glint came into his eyes, as the knife moved on top of her shirt. He didn't stop there and simply began to cut through the shirt. Hermione bit her lower injured lip to prevent herself from crying out loud. A metallic taste filled her mouth.

The Governor clearly enjoyed her discomfort and simply cut the shirt in half. Revealing her black bra and bruised torso.

He suddenly chuckled and said, "Must be a fashion trend these days."

Hermione wasn't listening to him as he looked intently at her chest. She forced herself to look unemotional and not to move an inch, even when he began to touch her.

"You know, I would have given you everything you wanted. Safety, prestige and even fame. People would have loved you. You could have had a pretty good life here. The only thing you needed to do was accepting my offer. It still stands. Cooperate with me. Give me what I want… or would you like me to go…further?"

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment, before she steeled herself more and said in an deadpan voice, "Do what you want with me. I won't give you the serum."

He placed the dagger between her breasts over the thin fabrics of her bra. He was just about to cut it through, when the door opened and Merle walked in. The Governor stopped his motion, but didn't remove the knife. She noticed that Merle blinked quite surprised at the scene before him, until he composed himself and said, "Governor, everythin' is ready and Andrea is lookin' for ya."

After a moment, the Governor finally removed the knife against her chest and stood up. He leaned closer, grabbing her broken hands, which caused her to cry out at the sudden sharp pain.

"I will break you, trust me on that. In the end, I always get what I want and you will do as I say," he hissed dangerously. He let go of her hands, before he stood straight and slapped her across the face. The force of the hit snapped her head to the side. Her vision blurred and the room was spinning, until she everything grew dark and she was no more.

* * *

A/N: First time Teddy POV, what do you think?

I know that this chapter was a little shorter then my other chapters, which are generally +10K, but I hope you enjoyed it.

The next chapter will be crazy, I promise! :)


	16. Chapter 15 - Suffering Queen

A/N: I am so amazed and simply blown away by the response to this story. All those wonderful reviews and seeing just how many people put this story on their C2s, favorite and following lists, is just... Amazing! Thank you all so so much!

I also want to give a big thanks to uoduck, who takes the time to beta read this story. Thank you so much!

Now, I hope you all have fun reading this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 15 - Suffering Queen**

* * *

**19****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

"Dad, can I talk to you for a moment?" Teddy asked Harry. He stood next to Rick and Daryl as they went through his weapons in the duffle bag.

"Be right back," Harry said to the others while he walked a little further away with Teddy.

"What's up?"

"I think there is something wrong with Mr Grimes." At Harry's confused glance, Teddy continued, "Since I came here, I noticed that he smells… strange. Acidy like and it's getting stronger."

Harry frowned at the information. He knew his son had more accurate senses than a normal human being would have, thanks to Remus' genes and Harry knew that he shouldn't dismiss it. He thanked Teddy for the information and thought of the possible meaning. His Auror training had taught him how to detect curses, poisonings, or spells. An acidy smell could be detected by plant poisoning or even through potions, but seeing that these were muggles, a potion induced poisoning could be excluded. He must have come in contact with a poisonous plant, maybe even ate one unknowingly or got bitten by a poisonous insect.

Harry walked towards Teddy's backpack and opened Hermione's beaded handbag. He pulled out a corked bottle of mistletoe berries. Two of these berries could cure common poisons and were even used in many antidote potions. Harry took two berries from the bottle before he put it back into Hermione's handbag. He focused his magic and cast a wandless Shrinking Charm on the berries in his hand. Unfortunately, he couldn't pull out his wand around these muggles and therefore needed to focus on his wandless magic. After he shrunk the berries to the size of seeds and with a quick flick of his hand, he made them fly into Rick's mouth and as soon as they entered his throat, he began to cough. Harry hoped that it worked. Meanwhile, he would keep an eye on the man.

"You ok, Rick?" Daryl asked next to him, worriedly, just as Harry walked closer.

"Yeah, don't know what happened. I'm good."

Daryl nodded and grabbed Harry's duffle bag, after Rick told the group to get ready to leave.

Harry walked towards Teddy and pulled him into a tight hug. "I want you to watch over Jon in the meantime. If something should happen, you will call me on my mirror and if you are in danger, I want you to use your wand, ok."

Teddy nodded before he hugged Harry tightly again, as he said, "Be careful, dad."

"I will and I love you."

Harry walked towards Jon, who had fallen asleep and was resting now in one of the cell beds. Carol, a nice woman with short grey hair spoke gently next to him, "I will take care of him."

Harry turned towards the woman and smiled. "Thank you."

He kneeled down next to the sleeping child and kissed him gently on the forehead. He would make sure that he would get his mother back, no matter what.

Harry joined Rick, the man who carried Harry's duffle bag, Daryl, the man with the crossbow, Michonne or ninja lady as Teddy liked to call her, and Oscar, the prison inmate. Together they got into two cars and drove off in the direction of Woodbury.

* * *

**19****th**** May 2012, Woodbury, Senoia, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

Barely any strength was left in her, as she watched the guard playing with his gun. He loaded and reloaded it, completely ignorant of Hermione's welfare and condition, as if she didn't matter. As if they did this sort of thing, kidnapping people, woman and torturing to death, on a daily basis.

She had never felt this level of hatred directed to her before. Not even during the wizarding war and the things she had heard and witnessed by the Death Eaters, but this… this just surpassed everything.

Hermione's breathing became more difficult. Not able to hold her head up anymore, she let it hung down and looked at her lap. Her mind was constantly on Teddy, Jon and Harry. She wondered if she would ever see them again, but she doubted it and she was beginning to accept it. She was just grateful that this monster didn't find out anything about her children. She had to thank Welles for it.

Hermione knew that she couldn't hold on much longer. Her body had showed the first signs of severe trauma and internal injuries, which she knew, if they weren't treated soon, she would bear the irrevocably consequences… Hermione just wished that she could have seen her family one last time. Hold them again and tell them, how much she loved each and everyone of them.

Her visions blurred before she closed her eyes and let the tears fall, accepting her fate.

* * *

**19****th**** May 2012, somewhere in Senoia, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

They parked the cars at a small road surrounded by a forest. Apparently, Woodbury was not too far away from there. Harry checked out his two guns and several magazines of ammunition. He put a silencer on the muzzle of the gun, to reduce the sound as much as possible. It was actually a special piece of magic, which had Harry prepared during his stay at Fort Polk Military Base. Beside the gun, he hid his wand on his left forearm, which was hidden under his long sleeved shirt.

"They have patrols. We're better off on foot," Michonne stated as everyone packed their gear.

"How far? Night's coming," Rick said and looked around. Harry noted that he appeared to be more sharp and focused than before. The mistletoe berries must have worked and whatever poisoning he must have had, appeared to be gone. He would still keep an eye on him, though.

"It's a mile, maybe two."

Harry saw an undead walking towards them, but no one seemed to pay attention to the undead woman stumbling towards them. The group walked quietly through the woods. Harry was next to Michonne, and said after a while, "I want to thank you for helping my sons and for making sure that they were ok."

The woman barely glanced at him, but still nodded at him. Harry had observed the woman since his arrival at the prison. She was quiet, distant, guarded, and quietly observant herself. Harry didn't know what she had experienced to turn her into the woman that was walking next to him but that was one of the reasons that he needed to tell her. He needed to let her know that he had appreciated her help.

Rick and Daryl walked behind them, until Daryl signed to Rick, who in turn told to everyone to get down. Harry pulled out his gun, flipped off the safety and held it firmly in his hand. A group of undead appeared between the woods and on their pathway. Harry swiftly aimed his gun at the closest undead and was about to shoot, when Rick quickly said, "Get in formation. No gunfire."

Harry cursed silently, before he ignored Rick's orders and fired away. The shots were barely audible even to his own ears, as he shot in rapid fire directly at each approaching undead's head, killing them as quickly as possible. He could feel several eyes on him, as he went through the undead. He could see from the corner of his eyes, as the others fought off the other undeads with their other weapons, except their guns. The number of bodies grew as they fell quickly, even when more of them came from the woods. The group was able to get a hold of the situation and kill the majority of the undead. With much experience and a practiced hand, Harry quickly changed the magazine of his gun and continued shooting at the undead.

A few minutes later, they got a hold of the situation and quickly continued their walk through the woods, passing a small cabin. Things became quieter after that. The few undead they came across were either ignored or killed, if they came too close.

Rick closed the distance between him and Harry and walked next to him. "I said no guns."

"If I hadn't done it, we would have been surrounded by the undead. I know what I'm doing, Rick. During my stay in Louisiana, I've been with the soldiers out there and I am familiar with these undeads, how they operate and kill them."

"Undead, huh… we call them walkers."

Harry snorted a little and said, "Kind of strange, how many names are given to describe these things."

Rick nodded silently, before he said, "Thanks though, even if you didn't follow my orders. As long as you won't make it a habit of it."

"I will keep that in mind," Harry said and looked closely at Rick. The way he took charge of the dangerous situation made him believe that he used to be a figure of authority in the past.

"Were you a police officer, before the world flushed down the toilette?"

"Sheriff Deputy."

Both stayed silent as they walked next to each other and made through the woods, until Rick broke the silence by asking, "How many did you kill?"

Harry glanced at Rick and saw him watching him. He answered honestly, "Too many, but always those who deserved it. People who hurt others to either gain power, leverage or simply because they could, or enjoyed it… I killed people who needed to be taken down."

Rick nodded and stayed silent. The sun was setting down and soon, Harry knew, he would have to kill those who needed to be killed again, in order to keep his family safe and protected.

* * *

**19****th**** May 2012, Woodbury, Senoia, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

Milton Mamet came into the room and Hermione noted that he looked a little put down, as he went to take more blood samples from Hermione. She stayed silent during the whole process and watched him move around the room. After a while, he turned towards Hermione, looking through his round glasses, which to her dismay reminded her a little bit of Harry's. She pushed those thoughts away. She didn't want to think about Harry and this man, this lunatic, in the same thought.

"You were right," he suddenly spoke up and at Hermione's confused look he elaborated, "About your blood. The antibodies… I had a patient. Mr Coleman. He had prostate cancer and we didn't have the means to treat him. I thought… believed that maybe with my own therapy treatment and your blood added into his blood, that I could either stop the transformation or at least succeed with my own approach. But it failed anyway."

Hermione stayed silent and only nodded in acknowledgment.

"Dr. Granger," he spoke more gently and getting Hermione's attention. "I know we have treated you badly since your arrival at Woodbury and I am deeply sorry for it, but I implore to you, please give us the serum. We can save lives and… and this would stop."

Hermione knew what he meant with the last part. She chuckled a little, which turned quickly into rough cough. It stopped until she could taste a familiar metallic flavor in her mouth. As she looked back up again, she could see concern in Mamet's eyes, but she ignored it. She didn't believe that her condition truly fazed him, because if it would, he would have helped her escape or in any other way.

"I won't give it to you," Hermione began slowly, as her breathing became more difficult, "I don't doubt your… good intentions, Mr Mamet… but I don't trust any of you… not to abuse the serum."

"Please, Dr. Granger, consider the-"

His words got cut off as the door suddenly opened and the Governor walked in, with a pleased smile upon his face. Hermione could feel her heart picking up its pace, the closer he got and took his seat in front of Hermione.

"How are you, Dr. Granger?" he asked cheerily

Hermione stayed silent and focused on her breathing, to make her calm down. It wouldn't bring anything, if he noticed how much she came to fear this man.

"No answer is an answer I guess. Well, Dr. Granger, I had this really inspiring idea, you see. Actually, Milton here was the inspiration behind the theory."

Hermione noted the confused look on the researchers face.

The Governor looked at the said man and asked, "Tell me Milton, how is blood cancer treated?"

Hermione's eyes widened and knew instantly what he had planned for her. Her breathing picked up and this time she couldn't stop the welling panic inside her.

"I-I-, Philip you can't mean that we-"

"Oh yes, I do mean it Milton," he said happily and turned towards Hermione with a wide smile, "I want you to extract our dear Dr. Granger's bone marrow and find the cure."

"I don't think that would be wise, Philip. Her injuries are already too severe and such a procedure could increase the damage or worse, it could very well kill her."

The Governor simply shrugged, not showing even a spark of concern for her wellbeing. This only showed how far he would go to get what he wanted. "If Dr. Granger doesn't want to come forward with the serum, then we will have to find it for ourself."

"Please Philip, let's talk about this. I'm sure we can find something else-"

"My word is final, Milton," the monster disguised as a man said, as he stood up and without a care walked towards the door. Just before he exited the room he called out, "I want it done tonight."

The guard at the door appeared bored, while Milton looked deathly pale and a little shaken.

"I…I will go talk with him," he said before he rushed outside the door.

Hermione could feel herself shaking at the thought of what awaited her. She knew that time was finally running out for her.

* * *

**19****th**** May 2012, Woodbury, Senoia, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

It was dark, as they finally reached the outskirt of Woodbury. The walls, made of large truck tires, were watched by three armed guards. Harry and the others looked at the wall to see how they could get in, without being seen. With magic, things could have been done more easily, but since he couldn't break the Statute of Secrecy, especially not to face further questions now, he needed to fight as a muggle and would use magic as a last resort.

Suddenly, the woman next to him tried to move away and Harry swiftly grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her closer.

"Where the hell do you think your going?" Harry hissed angrily and glared at Michonne. This caught the attention of the others, as they watched the scene.

The woman glared back at Harry and said, "There is a secret pathway. Want to check it out if it's clear."

"Then we go with you," Rick answered this time.

The group slowly moved towards the location of the secret entrance to get in Woodbury. A loose wall side, made it possible for them to get through and inside a house. It was filled with conserved food, drinks and other random things.

After the door was closed, Rick asked Michonne, "This is where you were held?

"I was questioned."

"Any idea where else they could be?"

Daryl went to look through the window, by moving the curtains. Harry secretly went behind an isle and pulled out his wand and cast a quick and silent Point-Me spell on Hermione's whereabouts. It stopped and pointed to his right, meaning that it could be somewhere in that direction. Harry swiftly put his wand back into his wand holster and returned back to the group.

The woman never answered Rick's last question, as Daryl spoke up next, "I thought you said there was a curfew."

"The street is packed during the day. Those are stragglers," the woman responded quickly, sounding a little aggravated by now.

Rick said quickly, "If anyone comes in here, we're sitting ducks. We gotta move."

Michonne suddenly said something that piqued up Harry's interest, "They could be in his apartment."

Both Rick and Daryl looked back at her confused. Daryl spoke out his mind and said, "Yeah? What if they ain't?"

"And what if they are?" Harry spoke up from behind and walked closer to the group. He looked at Michonne and asked, "Where is his apartment? Is it possible to keep the prisoners close by?"

"It's possible. Once I tried to get to the upper level, but it's guarded all the time. No one is allowed up there."

Rick moved closer to them and said, "What if they aren't there?"

"What if Hermione is there?" Harry counteracted, before he turned back to Michonne, "Is it possible to keep other prisoners in this town?"

"Yeah, there is this area, a warehouse like place. Completely isolated from the civilians. It's further down that way;" Michonne said and pointed to her, the same direction the wand had pointed.

Harry nodded at the implication, "Someone like him would keep his prisoners hidden away, isolated from the majority of the people, where they could…. Interrogate them more effectively. It also could be that he kept them close by, since Michonne wasn't able to get to the attic. Either he keeps people there or somewhere else. But he would most likely keep them isolated rather than close."

"How do ya know that?" Daryl asked with a frown.

"It was my job to understand dangerous people."

Rick thought for a moment before he nodded in agreement. "Fine, we will go to the pit first and then we will see from-"

His words cut short, as they heard the door opening. They quickly hid themselves, as a man walked in, jangling his keys in his hand, before he closed the door behind himself.

"I know you're in here. I saw you moving from outside," the man called out. Harry looked at Daryl, who stood next to him and both looked at each other, worried that they had been discovered.

The man walked further into the room and said, "You're not supposed to be in here and you know it."

Harry's breath eased as he realized that the man thought that they were simply some people sneaking into the storage place. Harry and Daryl looked at each other and silently nodded, signaling to get ready and attack the man.

"Who's in here?"

Then suddenly, Rick jumped out behind the curtains and grabbed the man, pushed him against the wall with his gun pointed at his face. Everyone swiftly moved out of their hiding spots and held their weapons close.

Daryl aimed his crossbow at the man, as Rick order the man in a low voice, "Shut up. Get on your knees. Hands behind your back."

Daryl moved quickly as Rick pushed the man on his knees and ordered Daryl, "Zip-tie him."

He quickly pulled a plastic strip out and tied the man's hand behind his back. Rick looked back at the frightened man and asked, "Where are our people?"

"I don't know," the man stammered quickly.

Rick grabbed the man's shirt and pulled him closer, as he hissed angrily, "You are holding some of our people. Where the hell are they?"

"I don't know."

"He doesn't know," Harry said next to Rick. He knew when someone was lying and this man didn't know anything.

Rick looked quickly at Harry before he turned back to the man and said, "Open your mouth."

Without waiting for the man's reaction, he stuffed a rag in his mouth and Daryl knocked him out with his crossbow, before his muffled shouts could get any louder. They dragged the body of the unconscious man to the far side of the place.

Just as they were about to leave the place to find the others, a sudden series shots from an automatic could be heard and alerted the whole town. It came from the direction the pit must have been. Everyone got ready and pulled out their guns. They heard people shouting and running just outside.

"Stay silent and be fast," Rick said before he slowly opened the door. As soon as everything looked clear, they moved swiftly in the direction of the pit. Harry cast a silent and wandless disillusionment spell over the group and it barely worked. Without using his wand, the spell would only hold for a short while and not conceal them completely, but it was better than nothing.

They quickly went down the direction, until they came upon the back of a building that indeed looked like an old warehouse or a small factory. Rick signaled them to get ready and in formation. Harry went last and covered them, while Rick and Daryl led the group forward.

Rick waited a moment at the corner of the corridor, before he walked again and led the group further into the building. Everything was secure and Harry walked closer to the large man Oscar. Suddenly they heard voices, which made the group duck down.

_"Been really great seeing you again. Glad we could catch up."_

People were walking inside and moving around. Harry couldn't detect how many there could be in the other room, but by the sound of it, no more than a handful of guards. Through the small window they saw a few men walking, ordering the prisoners to move.

"Shit!" Rick cursed at the situation. They had to act fast. Rick and Daryl grabbed each a gas shell, from the small bag they had carried with them and as soon as they were about to move around the corner, they rolled it on the ground towards their direction.

The can exploded a moment later and gas broke out from it, clouding the whole area. Luckily, Harry's glasses were magically protected and had added features, which made him see through the most difficult situations, like rain, mists, darkness.

Harry quickly moved forward, next to Rick and grabbed the two bound people on the ground. He removed the hood from what looked like to be a woman underneath it, but came soon to realize that it wasn't Hermione. The short haired woman looking back at him with wide fearful eyes was not Hermione. Harry quickly assured her that he was here to help, while his heart dropped that he hadn't found Hermione.

Harry quickly pulled the woman up and helped her to get out. Harry swiftly glanced around, but Hermione was not here. The guards began to shoot at them, but they quickly returned the fire. Fortunately, they came out unscathed and rushed in a different direction than they had come from first.

The Asian boy, whose name was Glenn, could barely stand. Rick quickly grabbed, pulled his arm over his shoulder and supported him in their escape. As they came across the main street of Woodbury and Harry saw that the direction they had come from, was now packed with people. They rushed to the opposite street, which was void of people into towards the first building.

"Inside, quick!" Rick called out barely audible to the others.

Daryl and Oscar swiftly walked in first, while the others quickly followed. The place was empty and Rick shut it silently behind them.

"Ain't no way out back here," Daryl call out from behind.

"Rick, how did you find us?" the woman, Maggie said, who kneeled down next to Glenn.

Michonne was about to leave when Harry pulled her back and inside the building. He angrily pushed her against the door and held the gun on her forehead.

"Where do you think you're going?" Harry hissed angrily.

By now everyone looked at them, but didn't interfere. Even when Rick walked closer to them, Harry didn't put down his weapon.

"I have things to do," she answered, not showing a hint of fear.

"If you hadn't noticed, I still need to find someone and you will help me do that, got it?" Harry spoke harshly to the woman, who nodded in the end. They would head in the direction she wanted to go anyway. Harry pulled his gun down and took a step back, but stayed close to Michonne anyway.

Rick nodded in Harry's direction, before he turned towards his group and asked Glenn, "How bad are you hurt?"

"I'll be all right," he grunted a little.

Harry turned towards the two people on the ground and asked, "Did you see another woman, a scientist? Her name is Hermione Granger. Curly brown hair, brown eyes, about this height. British." He pointed to the height a little over his shoulder.

"No," the woman answered. "Never seen anyone except the guards."

"Damn it!" Harry cursed and moved his hand through his hair in agitation.

"We gotta get them out of here," Rick suddenly said and Harry rounded on him, stating firmly, "We aren't going anywhere without Hermione. I won't leave her behind!"

He nodded in understanding and said, "We will split and look for her, but first I need to get them out. They can't fight."

Harry turned towards Michonne and asked, "Where is this Governor's place?"

"Down that road, not far."

"All right, Michonne and I will back you up, as much as we can before we head off to the building."

Rick nodded in his direction and said, "Thanks."

"Who are they?" the woman on the ground asked.

"Friends," Rick answered, before he said, "Get ready, we need to leave fast."

"Daryl, this was Merle," Glenn spoke from the ground. Daryl looked surprised and quite taken aback by his words. "It was… He did this."

Rick spoke up, as Daryl moved closer to the two on the ground, "You saw him?"

"Face to face," he said, while Maggie helped him pull on a sweatshirt. "He threw a walker at me. He was gonna execute us."

Harry recognized an appalled look on Daryl's face, before it shut down and went guarded again. An expression he had been familiar with. Whoever this Merle was, it was someone important to him and he was shocked at the given information. He also noted that Maggie was wearing a shirt that was a little large for her, while the Asian boy was shirtless. He didn't want to think about the implications of it.

"So, my brother's this Governor?" Daryl asked after getting out of his surprised state, confirming Harry's suspiciousness.

"No, he's somebody else," Maggie answered. "Your brother's his lieutenant or something."

"Does he know I'm still with you?" Daryl asked and Harry could detect the confusion in his voice, probably at the situation and actions of his brother. Harry even wondered why his brother did what he did, even though he knew that Darryl was alive. They had been once one group, so what motivated him to act this way?

Maggie nodded, while Glenn answered, "He does now." He turned towards Rick and said, "Rick I'm sorry. We told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out."

The man immediately calmed the upset and beaten up boy down and said, "Don't. No need to apologize."

Rick then walked towards the door, where Harry and Michonne stood and looked outside.

"They're gonna be looking for us," Maggie said, sounding afraid of their situation.

"We have to get back. Can you walk? We got a car a few miles out," Rick stated and asked Glenn.

"I'm good."

"All right," Rick said and turned to look at Harry and Michonne, we will meet you outside this place, where we were first. "How long will you need?"

Harry looked at Michonne and said, "The place is what, five minutes away?"

"Not more than that."

Harry turned to Rick and said, "Not longer than 15 to 20 minutes."

Rick nodded and said, "If we aren't by the tracks, go where our cars are. Alright, get ready."

Oscar handed Maggie a gun, after he helped Glenn up.

Daryl suddenly spoke up, sounding clearly more upset at the situation, "Hey, if Merle's around, I… I need to see him."

"Not now. We're in hostile territory," Rick stated clearly and firmly, with no room to argue. It was a difficult situation and Harry could relate to the need to find their family, but otherwise stayed silent.

"He's my brother. I ain't-" Daryl spoke upset.

"Look at what he did!", Rick told him harshly. "Look, we gotta get out of here now."

"Maybe I can talk to him," Daryl tried, not able to give up on being reunited with his brother. "Maybe I can work something out."

"No, no, no. You're not thinking straight," Rick tried to reason with him, but Harry could see that it wasn't really working. "Look, no matter what they say, they're hurt. Glenn can barely walk. How are we gonna make it out if we get overrun by walkers or this Governor catches up to us? Harry and Michonne already risked going out there without our back-up. I can't lose another fighter. I need you," Rick implored to Daryl, who looked a little guarded at the man.

"Are you with me?" Rick asked one last time, and Daryl hesitantly nodded and said, sounding defeating, "Yeah."

Rick turned towards the group and said, "Let's go."

Harry and Michonne would lead the way in the direction they needed to go, before they would split up. Daryl went to get a gas shell and held the pin tight, as he removed the ring.

"On three. Stay tight. Harry, Michonne, sign to us your leave. All right. One, two, three," Rick said, signaling the command. Harry and Michonne instantly move forward, just as Daryl threw the gas shells on the streets.

A man instantly shouted, "There! Over there!"

"Let's go!" Harry called out and led the group down the street as Michonne walked alongside him. Harry didn't believe that all of these people in this town were evil, but were either manipulated, lied to or simply supported the lunatic. Therefore, he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who stood in his way to find Hermione.

"There they are!" another voice called out, as the lights moved in their direction. Harry quickly drew his gun in the direction and fired a quiet and accurate shot at the light and a second to the man, standing over a bus, killing him instantly. Even with his quick reaction to destroy the light and guard, they were still discovered. Gun fire came in their direction then Harry and the others returned fire to the location. Rick shot another guard on the other bus down.

Harry backed them up by killing any guard that came anywhere close to them. The group moved swiftly, hidden by the fog, to the building closer to the exit.

"Go! Get cover!" Rick shouted at everyone, while he, Daryl and Harry stayed close by and shot at the attacker.

"Go, go, go!"

"How many?" Rick asked as soon as they got cover.

"13-15, more approaching," Harry answered quickly. He had been able to see them through the fog.

"Yeah, we need to move," Daryl stated, before he asked, "Any grenades left?"

Harry gave him the last one, just as Rick said, "Get them ready. We gotta gun it to the wall. Harry, Michonne go! Be back fast, if we aren't there you know where to find us."

Harry nodded, just as he and Michonne were ready to make a run, as soon as the next distraction was up.

"You guys go ahead. I'm gonna lay down some cover fire."

"No, we gotta stay together," Maggie argued.

"Too hairy. I'll be right behind ya," Daryl assured them and prepared the next attack.

Harry aimed his gun and kept firing at the close guards around them, until Daryl threw the last gas grenade out. Harry cast a nonverbally and wandless _Engorgio _on the smoke and made it appear more thicker, denser and larger. It would hold on longer and give them more time to cover and make an escape.

"Come on, move!" Rick shouted one last time.

People were shouting and shutting in their directions.

Oscar shouted at the group, "This way!" and led Rick's group towards a large bus.

Harry and Michonne moved closer and were about to separate from the group, until Harry saw a guard aiming his gun towards an unaware Oscar, who was about to climb on the bus himself. Harry quickly shot the man down, hitting him directly on the forehead.

Michonne walked towards Harry, and spoke, "We need to go now!"

Harry nodded, caught Rick's eyes, and giving him the signal for their leave. At his nod, Harry and Michonne, slowly backed up and rushed in the shadows towards the Governor's place. Harry secretly cast another wandless disillusionment spell over them, which was a little bit stronger than the previous one, since they were only two of them now. It wasn't absolutely accurate and working, as it would have with a wand, but it would do. Harry followed closer to Michonne and tried to avoid getting any attention that was until they entered the building from the backside and were met by a guard. Before Harry could shoot him, Michonne raised her sword and cut the man's head off.

Harry gave her an impressed look and headed for the stairs, until Michonne stopped and whispered, "I need to do something first."

Harry looked at her intently for a moment, not sure what to make of it, but he had more pressing matters at hand. He desperately needed to cast another Point-Me spell on Hermione to make sure that she was inside this building and not another, and he could only do that without her around.

Harry nodded in the end and stated, "We will meet outside in ten minutes, tops, and if you aren't there I will go without you."

The woman nodded and without another word she rushed silently towards another direction. As soon as she was gone, he cast the spell and breathed out a sigh of relief, as the wand pointed at a point on the ceiling. Hermione was here.

He quickly put the wand away and replaced it with his gun, as he moved up the stairs, towards the attic. It was quiet as he moved the last steps towards the upper floor, until he came across a dark door, in where he could hear voices.

_"Go on, doc!" _a man spoke impatiently. It sounded as if the voice was just right behind the door. _"We're probably under attack and I need to help them." _

_"Please Dr. Granger, I beg you, just give him what he wants. We can treat you afterwards… and this can end. Please, I don't want to hurt you,"_ Harry heard another man speak from the other side of the room, who ignored the first man's words. His own heart quickened at the name of his best friend. He had finally found her.

_"He… will kill me… anyway, Mamet. With or… without the formula,"_ Hermione said, sounding pained. Without further waiting, he kicked the door open and aimed his gun at the muggle with the weapon closer to the door. Before the man could even react, Harry pulled the trigger and shot him in the head, killing him instantly.

Harry swiftly moved into the room and aimed his gun at the other man with glasses, whose hands were already raced in the air.

"Harry," Hermione croaked, her voice breaking his focus. He looked at his best friend and what he saw sent a cold shiver down his spine and paled instantly in shock. He almost didn't recognize her. She was completely beaten up and bruised all over. Her face was partly swollen, cuts marred her face, her hands were deformed and he noted the blood on her clothes and face. He noted that her shirt was ripped open, showing more dangerous looking injuries on her torso.

His mind couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. His best friend, his sister, was tied up and beaten almost unrecognizably. Horrified at the sight of her, he aimed his weapon at the man in the man again, who flinched away in fear.

"What did you do to her, you bloody bastard?" Harry shouted at the man, who began to shake in fear and coward in the back.

He was just about to end his life, when Hermione's roughened voice stopped him, "Harry, don't…He didn't do it."

Harry still pointed his gun at the man for a moment, before he pulled the gun down, crossed the distance between him and the man and punched him hard on the face. This caused the man to fall unconsciously to the ground. Harry then swiftly crossed the distance to Hermione. He needed to get her out fast. As soon as got there he began to cut through the bindings with a knife, which he took out from his boot.

"What did they do to you, Hermione?" Harry asked shakily, after he removed the bindings from one hand, before he asked more angrily, "Who did this to you?"

Hermione's eyes were barely focused on Harry, when she asked, "Teddy…Jon?"

He knew what she tried to say and quickly explained, "They are safe, don't worry. Come let's get you out of here."

"My…my things," Hermione croaked and Harry quickly pulled out his wand and cast a quick spell to gather all of Hermione's belongings into her backpack, which were on a table. He strapped it over his shoulder, before he went back and fixed her shirt with a wandless _Reparo_ spell. The shirt wasn't perfectly repaired, but it covered her torso.

Harry picked up Hermione and said, "Let's get you out of here, Mione."

He tried to lift her as gently as possible, but she still cried out in pain in his arms. Harry cursed silently as he quickly apologized, before he walked down the corridors and stairs of the building. Just as he was about to turn to his right, a woman with blond curly hair holding a gun, rushed past them. That's when Harry heard the fight and glass breaking down the hall.

His worry must have shown on his face, as Hermione gently said, "Go, help… don't leave anyone… behind."

Harry nodded at her words and walked closer to the room. After he made sure that the hallway was empty, he gently laid Hermione on the ground, pulled out his gun and walked in. The backroom of this place was completely demolished. For some odd reason, there were several decapitated undead heads lying on the ground between the broken glasses and a pool of water.

That's when he saw Michonne holding her sword against the blond woman, while the other woman held Michonne at gunpoint. Harry instantly trained his own weapon at the blond woman, as he walked closer towards the two. She was outnumbered and one wrong move of the blond woman and he would end her. He watched silently as the two women slowly rounded each other.

The blond woman finally noticed Harry and began to look more nervous between the two of them. Michonne slowly walked back towards him, until both left the place. Michonne stopped in her tracks at the sighed of a beaten and severely injured Hermione. Her eyes widened at the sight, but chose not to say anything, which he was grateful for.

"Get us out of here," Harry told her and Michonne quickly moved in the front line with her sword drawn out.

It gave Harry the opportunity to quickly pull out his wand and cast a stronger disillusionment spell on them, before he quickly went and gathered Hermione, who moaned in pain as he bent down and picked her up.

"He…broke my… my wand," Hermione spoke quietly, "He wanted… NOVA… didn't give him."

"Shh, it's alright Hermione. We're getting you out and will get help for you as soon as possible," Harry tried to calm her down.

"Teddy… Jon, are they… safe?" Hermione asked again, sounding a little disoriented, before she began to cough heavily. Harry could see blood leaving her mouth. His fear only increased further for her and he quickened his pace.

"It's ok, Hermione. Everything will be ok." Harry wasn't sure who he was trying to convince with his words anymore.

Hermione stayed quiet as her breathing grew more difficult. Thanks to his spell the three of them were able to escape unnoticed by everyone. They quickly found the group at the agreed upon location, behind the train tracks and as soon as they appeared, they moved closer. Their eyes widened at Hermione's appearance.

"My God, what did they do to her?" Maggie spoke shakily, while Harry gently placed her on the ground to look closely at her injuries.

"Hermione, hey," Harry spoke trying to get her attention, "I need to see what they did to you."

Hermione nodded slowly and Harry began to look at her injuries more closely. He wasn't a healer, but his Auror training had given him a basic knowledge of healing and first aid.

Harry went to slowly lift her damaged shirt up and she immediately flinched at his touch, at first he though it was due to the injury she felt, but then he noticed fear in her eyes. Harry closed his eyes, as he felt his body shake in rage, at the possible meaning of it.

"Let me. I can do it," Maggie spoke up and kneeled down next to him. She slowly moved the shirt up and sucked in her breath at what was visible. Her skin was almost solely covered in purple, blue, green, two ribs were more visible, which showed that they were broken.

"Her… her ribs are broken, two maybe. From the way she is breathing I think they punctured her lungs… and-"

Hermione suddenly moaned in pain and Harry's eyes widened in worry.

"Sorry! I'm sorry," Maggie apologized quickly, before she said, "I… I think she has internal bleeding. My dad needs to see her. It doesn't look good."

"Damn it!" Harry cursed before he pulled out his backpack and put his whole arm in, reaching into the invisible and undetectable pocket.

"What the hell?" Oscar cursed at the sighed and immediately took a few steps back. Maggie quickly followed and scooted away.

Harry could hear the safety clip turned off of a gun, which was probably aimed at him, but he didn't look up and kept searching until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a potion bottle in were the content had a deep violet with a red shimmering color. It was the Viscera Potion, which could repair internal damages. There wasn't much left anymore, but it would hopefully heal the more severe injuries, until they could treat her wounds better. Harry ignored the people around him and gave Hermione the potion. As soon as she drank it, Harry pulled out his wand and cast a quick diagnostic spell on her and what he saw made him only more worried. Her injuries were more severe than they first believed.

Harry noted that the potion took its effect, as her breathing evened out and the sickly coloring on her torso slightly vanished. The people around them saw it too and gasped in shock.

"What the hell are you?" Rick suddenly hissed, the gun pointed at his head.

"A wizard and yes magic is real," Harry said, breaking the Statute of Secrecy, but the life of his best friend was more important than the secret. Shock was written all over their faces and Harry breathed out a tired sigh, "Look, I will explain everything after we get out of here, but now, we need to go!"

Rick looked intently into Harry's eye's and after a moment he dropped his weapon, nodded. "All right, but this isn't over."

Harry nodded and looked around. He frowned when he realized that someone was missing in the group.

"Where is Daryl?" Harry asked concerned. "Did something happen?

"Daryl is missing," Maggie spoke up next to him. "You two didn't see him?"

"No," Michonne answered.

Harry looked at Hermione's beaten face and broken body. He wanted to hurt them for what they did to her and Daryl didn't deserve to be there.

He nodded in the end and said, "We need to go back."

"We will," Rick confirmed, "But not with them. Someone needs to get them out of here." Rick pointed at Hermione and Glenn, who immediately protested, but Rick shut him down quickly.

Hermione tried to grab Harry's arm and said roughly, "Harry, be careful… they… they are crazy… This Governor he is… is dangerous… you-you need to-"

"I know Hermione, don't worry, I will-"

"Hold on, is that a bite wound?" Oscar said pointing at the arm with the bite wound.

Harry immediately stood protectively in-front of Hermione and said, "She won't turn."

"We can't take her with us," Rick said gently.

Harry's eyes hardened on the man, "I said, she won't turn. She is immune to the virus."

"What?" everyone exclaimed in shock.

"We don't have time for this. I promise, I will explain everything to you, once we are safe."

Rick nodded tightly and looked at Oscar and Michonne, "I want you to take these two," he pointed at Hermione and Glenn, "and get them to our meeting point. Harry, you are with me. We will meet you there."

"I'm coming with you, Rick," Maggie spoke up and walked towards Harry and Rick. "You'll need another shooter."

Glenn protested her suggestion, but Rick agreed to it. Michonne walked towards Glenn and helped him up, while Oscar went towards Hermione, bent down on one knee and said gently to her, "I'm going to pick you up, ma'am."

Hermione only nodded slightly in response. He watched as Oscar slowly picked her up. Harry could see her biting on her swollen lip, wearing a pain filled expression, until Oscar finally settled her in his arms and carried her off in the said direction, led by Michonne and Glenn.

"We need to move fast and quietly," Rick said as they got in position.

"Well, I can help you with that," Harry said and without further explanation, cast a quick disillusionment spell over them. "It will hide us, from anyone else, until it either wears off or I use the counter spell for it."

Maggie and Rick looked surprised.

"Did you use it on us, while we were in there?" Rick asked and pointed at the wall of Woodbury.

"Yes, I did."

"And this will hide us?" Maggie asked just as they reached the wall.

"Now that I use a wand, it will do it better job. It won't make us invisible, just unnoticeable and more difficult to spot."

Rick nodded and led the way through the wall, back into Woodbury. The streets were mostly empty. Probably thought that the danger was gone and therefore dropped their guards. Rick, Harry and Maggie followed the noises and the direction several people took. It brought them to a place that looked like a stadium and right behind was the pit, where they had held Maggie and Glenn.

They silently went into position and as Harry promised, no one did see them. They watched from their position as the majority of the people gathered around a field, while a man wearing an eye cap spoke to them and the crowd began to cheer at them. A glance at Maggie confirmed Harry's suspicious of the man and that this was the Governor. Daryl and another man were pushed into the center and began to fight.

Harry quickly moved his wand and cast a strong protection spell around the three of them, before he took his position next to Rick and aimed his gun at the people. He watched as Daryl fought with another man, whose hand was replaced with a metal blade. Like a bad prosthetic. He remembered Teddy's word about a man with the metal hand and sword attached to it. He figured that this was the man that Teddy had been referring to.

"Whose the man next to Daryl?" Harry asked.

"His brother," Maggie stated with a hate filled voice.

"That is Daryl's brother?" Harry couldn't hide his surprise. He wasn't sure what to think of this discovery.

"Yeah, couldn't be more different," Rick responded next to him. They watched as Daryl's brother attacked him first and the crowd cheered him on.

Harry couldn't believe how stupid some people could be. He watched as both brothers beat each other up, before their audience. Suddenly, four guards brought in four undead, held by a long stick, a dogcatcher that animal control service would use and these people used these devices to grab the neck of the undead and guide them to the arena. If possible the audience only cheered further, as soon as they let the undead closer to the brothers. As if this was some sort of game for them.

"These people are just sick," Harry stated, completely disgusted by them.

Daryl and his brother suddenly stood up, standing back to back to each other, prepared to face the undead.

Rick only glared in their direction, until he gave them the signal to attack and Harry began to shoot around the crowd, creating a mass panic. People screamed and ran in every direction. Maggie killed the closest undead, quickly followed with a shot to another guard, who had been holding the undead with a dogcatcher. Rick and Harry killed the other two guards holding the undead.

"Now!" Rick shouted over screams at Harry, who pulled out his wand and created a strong fog around the area. With another quick flick of his wand, Harry destroyed the lights around them, before he pulled the wand back in and grabbed his weapon. Harry moved forward, while Rick and Maggie covered him as he moved to get to Daryl.

"Daryl!" Harry called out and grabbed his arm, helping him up. His brother quickly followed them. Daryl suddenly moved towards a tall Afro-American and snatched his own crossbow back, but not before punching the man in the head with the back of his weapon. Rick and Maggie waited for them behind the container. No one seemed to look at them as people ran passed them. It was a good sign, which meant that the spell was still holding.

"Harry. Daryl. Let's go. Go," Rick called out and as soon as they reached them, they kept running through the way they had come from. Harry swiftly pulled out his wand and cast another disillusion spell over Daryl and his brother, who seemed to have tagged along. He wouldn't say anything, not that he was in any position to do so, not after his own magical secret was out and had lots of explaining to do.

They quickly came to the realization that they couldn't take the same direction they had come from. They took another turn into a street, which wasn't filled with people. They ran towards the empty buses as Daryl's brother said, "They're all at the arena. This way."

But Rick immediately pointed out, "You're not going anywhere with us."

"You really wanna do this now?" Merle said, and quickly walked towards the wall, which was covered in metal plates. It clanged at the brunt force he applied on it. Harry quickly crossed the distance and pushed the man away. He pulled out his wand and cast a quick cutting spell on the fence and opened a hole, large enough for them to fit and escape.

Harry put away his wand and turned around to tell them that they could leave now, but he already had an audience. Rick and Maggie looked at him with surprise, whereas Daryl and his brother looked at him in shock and disbelief.

"What the hell man?" Daryl asked shocked.

"Not now, Daryl," Rick quickly cut in. "We need to get out of here. Go!"

Harry went in first and steadied his gun at the surroundings. He immediately fired at the approaching undead on them, killing them swiftly and silently. The sound of more undead approaching could be heard and with his special glasses could see further than the others. Harry quickly fired off another round at the undead, as Daryl joined him and began to shoot his arrows as well, but it seemed as if more of them were coming.

"We ain't got time for this," Daryl's brother shouted at them and began to take off.

"Let's go," Harry said and looked back at Rick and Maggie, and noted her quite worried and confused glances at Rick. But it wasn't the time nor place to figure out what to do now.

The small group ran through the deserted outskirt town and into the woods. Harry's gun and Daryl's arrow were the most silent defense and therefore provided the most protection for the group, whenever they came across an undead.

* * *

**20****th**** May 2012, somewhere in Senoia, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

It was daytime when they finally reached their cars. The tension became incredibly stronger the closer they got to their destination. No one said anything the whole time and instead watched their surroundings for any danger.

Harry could understand why Daryl wanted to save his brother. It was his family after all and from what he had deducted, the both of them had been separated for a while until now. Harry knew how important family was, especially in these days. He himself would do anything for his loved ones.

"We'll go first, and you and your brother follow behind," Rick said to Daryl, who nodded in response.

Rick swiftly walked before the others, while Maggie and Harry followed shortly behind.

"Glenn!" Rick called out.

"Rick. Rick," Glenn panted a little. He looked relieved to see them. "Rick. Oh, thank God."

Harry saw Michonne walking close by, while Oscar stood next to Hermione, who sat on the opened door in the passenger seat. She turned towards the sound and smiled tiredly at Harry, who returned it back in relief.

But things turned badly, as soon as Glenn and Michonne saw Daryl's brother.

Rick tried to smooth things out by saying, "Now we got a problem here. I need you to back up."

Michonne wasn't listening, as she pulled her sword out and made a move at Daryl's brother's direction.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Glenn shouted furiously and pulled out his own gun.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Rick said to Michonne and tried to get her attention.

"Hang on. Stop!"

"Hey, put it down!" Daryl said to the two of them, standing protectively before him.

"He tried to kill me!" Michonne screamed at Rick, who aimed his own weapon at her. It was for the first time Harry had seen this sort of strong emotion from the Afro-American woman.

"Drop the sword," Rick ordered.

"Look what he did!" Glenn shouted, "If it wasn't for him…"

"He helped us get out there," Daryl tried to reason, but Harry could see it wasn't working.

Maggie backed up Glenn and stood next to him. Harry was between Daryl and Rick, as Daryl's brother was almost behind him. Harry held his gun loosely in his hand, not drawing it on anyone and letting them try to handle this situation.

"Yeah, right after he beat the shit out of you," Rick suddenly said, pointing out that he wasn't happy about the situation as well.

"Hey, we both took our licks, man," Daryl's older brother, Merle said, appearing as if this was a common thing for him and Daryl. Harry frowned at Merle, before he looked back at the group.

"Jackass," Daryl cussed at his brother.

"Hey, shut up," his brother bantered back.

"Enough!" Rick shouted, as he glanced back for a moment. The tension only seemed to increase. It didn't help that Daryl's brother behaved liked a bloody idiot. Even after Daryl gave him a piece of his own mind.

Harry shook his head at the display. He decided that they should find a way to handle it, while he would check up on Hermione. But when he began to move towards her, he froze in his spot, as he saw the naked fear in her eyes, directed at Daryl's brother. His mind went into overdrive at the possible implication of it.

Harry swiftly turned around and walked straight towards the man, while he pulled out his wand. His rage and intention must have shown on his face, as Rick and Daryl tried to stop him, but with a quick flick of his wand, he moved them out of his way. Harry pushed Daryl's brother further back against the tree, while the tip of his wand was pressed against the man's jugular.

"Did you do this to her?" Harry hissed furiously.

The man only looked confused at Harry, "Whatcha talking, man? Who? I-I never touched country girl over there."

"I'm not talking about Maggie, you bastard! I'm talking about Hermione!"

"Who-what are you-"

"What?" Darryl asked confused next to Harry, before he began to defend the man, "Merle is many things, but never would he abuse a woman. Tell him, bro!"

He could see from the corner of his eyes that both muggles had pointed their weapons at him.

"Put that away, Harry," Rick said calmly as he trained his gun at him.

"Never touched a woman against their will, man. Ain't digging tha' shit."

"Harry," Hermione's voice suddenly cut in. At the close sound of it, he looked behind himself and saw Hermione supported by Oscar, making their way to them. Oscar was more carrying than supporting her though.

"Did he do this to you, Hermione?" Harry asked shaking a little at the thought that he had probably helped save the man, who was the reason for Hermione's injuries and Merlin knew what else. He focused back at the man in front of him, ready to curse and hurt him in return, and make it very painful in the process.

Merle's eyes on the other hand, traveled towards the direction from where Hermione was coming and they widened immediately.

"Holly shit, kitten! Didn't think I would see ya here," he said a little cockily and smile.

Harry pushed the wand a little further into his neck, in warning.

"Oh, ok, ok, man. Just relax. Never hurt kitten."

"He… he didn't do this to me," Hermione said, sounding weak.

"Then why did you look like he did this to you? You were scared, Hermione," Harry asked. He was angry and confused. The way she had looked at him was as if he was her personal boggart.

Hermione walked closer until she stood next to him. "I… for a moment, I thought he would take me back… to him. Merle never touched me. He tried to stop him, in his own way, I guess."

Harry noted the spark of guilt and regret flashing through Merle's eyes, while he stayed silent. In the end, Harry lowered his wand and turned away, ignoring the gun and crossbow raised at him, as he moved towards Hermione. He gently held her up on her free side and asked, "Who did this to you then?

"A man, calls himself the Governor. He is the leader at this place," she took a pain-filled breath before she continued, "His real name is Philip, from what I found out."

"He is a charmer, I got to tell you that," Merle chipped in. Gone was the humor and cockiness in his voice. He sounded bitter and as he continued, "Enjoyed hurting kitten over there, cause of her lil' secret she ain't sharin' with no-one. But he got less time with the Doc here, since he's been putting the wood to your girlfriend, Andrea." Merle looked at Michonne, whose eyes's had widened at the name and meaning of his words.

"What? Andrea's in Woodbury?" Glenn asked shocked. Everyone looked equally surprised, except for Daryl who nodded a little at his brother's words, while Oscar looked just confused as Harry and Hermione.

"Right next to the Governor," Daryl confirmed.

Michonne tried to attack Merle with her sword again, but Rick stopped her. "I told you to drop that."

He looked at the woman intently and demanded, "You know Andrea?"

But Michonne remained quiet, barely sparing Rick a glance, as she trained her eyes on Merle. Rick repeated the question more calmly this time, "Hey, do you know Andrea?"

When she was still unresponsive, Merle cut in and answered for her, "Yep, she does. Her and blondie spent all winter cuddlin' up in the forest. My Nubian queen here had two pet walkers. No arms, cut off the jaws, kept them in chains."

Everyone looked confused and a little disturbed at the information and Harry didn't know what to think of it.

"Clever," Hermione rasped out, next to Harry, drawing everyone's attention and everyone's stare she explained, "They would serve the means of camouflage for her. Probably even… warn her against other undead, since their behavior shows that they… attracted and do move in larger groups. Cutting off the arms, removing the jaw and maybe even the teeth… reduces the risk of infection. Really clever."

"How do you know that?" Rick suddenly asked Hermione and she simply said, "I studied them, know how they work."

"Why was this Governor so interested in you? What information didn't you want to share?" Rick asked Hermione, but Harry could see that she became weaker, and even paler.

"Not now, Rick. We will explain everything once we get back. Hermione needs treatment now. The potion I gave her was not enough and healed only the most pressing injuries in her body. I need to treat her. We need to go back," Harry said, not leaving any room for discussion.

"He isn't coming with us!" Glenn suddenly broke in angrily and pointed at Merle.

"Why the hell not?" Daryl shouted at Glenn. "He is my brother!"

Glenn was about to talk back, when Rick spoke up, "Glenn, Daryl, Maggie, I need to talk with you and you four," he pointed at Hermione, Oscar, Harry, and Michonne and said, "should wait at the car for us."

Merle getting annoyed at Rick's orders retorted, "Gonna have some secret meeting, without your old pal Merle?"

Before Rick could say respond to his words, Daryl snapped at his brother harshly, "Shut up, Merle. Wait here!"

Harry and the other three walked back to the car, until Hermione's leg gave away. Oscar was quicker than Harry and caught Hermione in his arms. He carried her back to the car and placed her gently on the open passenger seat.

Harry noted the light sheen of sweat and growing paleness on her face and said, "Hold on a little longer, Hermione. We will get you treated and fixed up in no time." Harry sighed deeply, while he brushed his hair in agitation with his hands and said, "Damn it! I should have brought more potions with me."

"It's ok, Harry," she tried to reassure him, which didn't work.

His worry for her began to grow stronger, as did his frustration at this group. He could understand where everyone was coming from, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

"I will be back," he promised Hermione and walked towards Rick's group.

They stood a little further away, in the middle of the road and when he got closer he could hear Daryl speak to Rick,"- the Governor is probably on the way to the prison right now. Merle knows how he thinks, and we could use the muscle."

Maggie spoke calmly, but firmly, "I'm not having him at the prison."

"He had a gun to our heads," Glenn said and cut in, "Do you really want him in the same cell block as Carol and Beth?"

"He ain't a rapist. He never even touched the doc or Maggie. He said that."

They stopped talking as they finally noted Harry closing in on them.

"I hate to rush you people, but we need to go back. Hermione is getting worse and I need to treat her."

Rick nodded before he continued next to Harry, "There's no way Merle's gonna live there without putting everyone at each other's throats."

"Then Daryl should be responsible for his brother," Harry spoke up, interrupting Daryl, as he was about to say something.

"Look," Harry continued with a little sigh, "I am not a big fan of this man, but you can't seriously expect Daryl to send his own brother off without going to leave as well?"

Harry could see the surprise in the Daryl's eyes, before he guarded it quickly. The way he looked at Rick, indicated that Harry's words rang true. That he would leave with his brother, rather than risk losing him again.

Rick sighed frustratingly, clearly not knowing how to handle the situation anymore.

"He is a threat for us," Glenn insisted becoming more upset. "How do you know, if he doesn't want to bring us back to his buddy?"

"They ain't buddies no more. Not after last night," Daryl defended his brother.

"He is right," Harry agreed. "This Governor planned to kill him last night. There is no way that someone like him would ever forgive a person like Merle. He labeled Merle as a traitor, a scapegoat and made him responsible for everything that happened a few hours ago in front of everyone. The way this Governor runs things, he will have had already ordered his men to capture Merle or kill him on sight. So, there is no way for Merle to return back there and I'm sure he knows it. And about the situation at the prison, aren't there any other empty cell blocks you could put him in? The prison is big enough and you don't have to live close to each other."

"Yeah, there are blocks free," Daryl confirmed. "We can let him stay there. I'll keep watch over him."

"What?" Glenn shouted furiously, "You just hold him against your stick and threatened him and now you are ok with him coming with us?"

"Yes," Harry quickly responded calmly. "If he had been responsible for Hermione's state, I would have killed him, after I made sure he suffered first." He noted Daryl's posture go rigid at his words.

"But the fact is, he didn't hurt Hermione. Neither did he hurt Maggie. Not that it makes it alright that he beat you up and did some sick things, which I won't excuse him for, but now is not the time to break down this group and this is what you are doing right now. This Governor is a psychopath and from what I saw back there, he is a sociopath with a narcissistic personality and has homicidal tendency and the worst thing is, he has a whole town following him. Over 70 potential enemies, a threat to the family you try to protect. Sometimes you have to set your priorities straight, pick up your battles and this is not one of them."

No one said anything, until Maggie spoke up, "Maybe Harry is right, Glenn. We keep Merle away from us and -"

"No, Maggie!" He glared at his girlfriend before he looked back at Harry. "Since when are you part of our group. Just because you helped us out doesn't mean we trust you."

"Exactly! Not only did we get you out there, we risked our lives to do so. If it weren't for my son and Michonne telling you what happened, I would have simply gone to Woodbury on my own and got Hermione out there. In and out without anyone noticing it. I don't need your help to fight, but you will need ours to survive."

"I don't care! I don't want him there, not after what they did to Maggie," Glenn began to get more angry and almost shouted at Harry and Rick, "Do you know what he did to her?"

"Glenn!" Maggie scolded and looked clearly upset, as she turned away.

Rick tried to calm the bruised up man down, but he wouldn't listen, "Calm down, Glenn. We-"

"Calm down?! How when you guys plan to get that psycho back to our place, after he did this to us!"

Harry had enough of it and snapped angrily at Glenn, "Don't you think I want to go back there and kill this bloody bastard, for what he did to Hermione? Do the same things to him, he did to her! You had to endure this for a half day, which was most probably ordered by this sick bastard in the first place, she was there for five bloody days! Look at her! He broke almost every finger on her hands, beat her up repeatedly, broken ribs, she has internal injuries and Merlin knows what else. I found her shirt ripped open- damn it!

"She is like my sister! The only family I have left, besides those two children. Not only did I almost lose them, my family, because of this Governor, with his attack on the convoy, and yes, Merle was part of it and I will never forgive him for that, but I almost lost her to the torture the Governor put her through. He almost killed her! Do you understand what I am saying, Glenn? The Governor tortured Hermione for days. Five bloody days! Can you imagine how long that must have felt for her? Knowing that our children were somewhere out there, unprotected, believing to never see them again. Can you imagine this mental torture on top of the physical one?"

Harry took a deep breath to calm himself down and added, "If I can control myself, so can you. Right now, from what I have seen and understand, this psychotic bastard of a Governor will become a greater threat. He will retaliate and we need to put ourselves together and get through this mess. As I said, there are more pressing matters at hand and Merle isn't the greater threat here. He was just his brainless puppet of a mastermind's play."

Everyone began to look pale, upset and angry at Harry's words, each of them for different reasons.

"Glenn, Harry is right," Rick spoke up next to him, "We started something last night and we need to prepare for the consequences. We need Merle's help to figure out how to fight against this Governor. Figure out how he thinks. His weakness. We will find a way to make this work, at least for now. "

"Fine!" Glenn barked out furiously. "My opinion doesn't matter it seems." He turned and walked towards an empty car, where Michonne leaned on it.

"Glenn," Maggie called after him before she followed Glenn.

Rick looked in their direction and shook his head. "He is angry."

"He will get over it," Daryl said gently.

"Come let's straighten out some ground rules for your brother," Rick said to Daryl.

"All right," he answered calmly and before he took off toward Merle's location, he nodded ones at Harry in thanks.

He was about to go back to Hermione, when Rick told him to follow him. They walked towards Merle and Daryl and when reached them they could hear Daryl explaining to his brother about their conditions for his stay. The man responded lazily and agreed on the terms.

Harry waited quietly, until everything was said and cleared up with Merle. That's when he added in a calm voice, "I just want to point something out. I didn't defend him, because I'm suddenly fine with everything he did and I know my family and I are new here, but until the time comes for us to leave, he will stay away from my family."

Harry turned towards Merle and glared at him fiercely, "If I see you hurting or putting my family or anyone else in harms way, then you will wish that the Governor had his fun way with you, after I am through with you. I will put you in so much pain that you will beg me to kill you, but I won't do that. No. I will keep torturing you, sending every single nerve ends on fire, ripping them apart over and over again, while I make your blood boil in your veins. Even after that, I won't kill you. No. I will leave you in a vegetative state. An undead will have more life in them than you will. Unable to move, aware of everything and leave you for the undead to eat you alive..… and no one will be able to stop me. Got that?"

Merle gulped a few times, having gone completely pale at Harry's detailed description of his possible demise and answered shakily, "Loud and clear, boss."

Harry's lips curled up in disgust, before he turned around and walked back to Hermione. Oscar looked worried in his direction. Harry instantly quickened his pace, just as Oscar said, "She's not good, man."

He crossed the distance quickly and noticed the change in her. Her body was shaking slightly, while she looked even paler than it should be possible. It showed more of the injuries and bruises on her face.

"Hermione, hey," he spoke softly as he leaned closer and touched her face as gently as possible. She grimaced at his touched, before she moaned in pain. Hermione opened her eyes a little, but wasn't able to say anything, before they closed again. He wished he could apparate her to the prison and treat her injuries, but in her current state and condition, he would only put her body on more stress and probably even extend her injuries. The safest way for Hermione to travel was to take the car.

Harry turned around and found Rick almost next to him. "We need to go, Rick. She's getting worse."

He nodded and called for everyone to get in the cars. Harry took his seat next to Hermione in the back and placed her gently in his arms, just as Merle got in next to him. Daryl took the passenger seat, while Rick sat next to him and drove the car. Harry saw how Oscar quickly jogged back to the other car with Michonne, Maggie and Glenn. The drive was silent as he drove towards the prison. Halfway down the road they had to stop due to a broken down car and tree branch.

After they parked the car, in the middle of the road, Harry gently put Hermione back on the seat, giving a warning glare at Merle before he walked out. Daryl, Rick, Glenn and Maggie had already gotten out. He watched as Glenn let out his frustration out on an undead, who had been previously trapped in a car.

Harry walked slowly towards them. Glenn panted heavily, after he was done and Rick slowly walked towards the Asian boy, probably to see if he was alright. Harry let them be. He pulled out his wand and cast a Levitating spell on the broken tree branch across the road. Maggie and Daryl were the only ones, who were standing outside to watch him with open mouth astonishment. Rick looked a little surprised, but otherwise focused back on Glenn, just as he said, "You didn't kill him."

Rick seemed to be at loss for words at Glenn's accusations. Even Harry didn't know what to say, as he and Daryl walked closer to them, standing next to Maggie.

"That's not why we went back," Rick explained.

"No. That's right. You went back for Daryl and brought back his crazy brother. And the Governor is still alive."

"Not that again, man," Daryl muttered annoyed and walked back to the car.

This time, Rick looked irritated and upset himself, but still tried to reason with him, "Daryl was the priority."

"I should have been there with you," Glenn suddenly said and Harry finally understood what the real issue was. He felt weak, helpless, frustrated and angry about his situation.

Rick looked at him incredulously and said, "You were in no condition."

"But my girlfriend was?" Glenn shouted suddenly.

"Glenn, this isn't about us," Maggie tried to reason with him calmly, but it didn't have the effect she had hoped for. Harry sighed and choose to leave them alone. They, especially Glenn, needed to let out a bit of steam. Harry walked back towards the broken car on the road. He could still hear more of Glenn's shouting, while Rick tried to calm him down.

Harry flicked his wand and moved the car slowly to the side road, clearing the way completely. He could relate to Glenn's anger and frustration. If he hadn't been forced to face difficult and life threatening situations, since he entered the wizarding world, he would have been on a crazy emotional rollercoaster right now and probably in many different difficult situations, since the world had gone to bloody shite. Who knew that this hardship in his younger years, would be the reason that he became the man he was today, and made him more in control of his emotions and reactions. A better Auror, fighter, friend, father.

It was also thanks to Hermione and Ron who had helped him through the self-hate, guilt, regrets, and anger. Harry could only guess that Glenn would probably need time to process his kidnapping and torture. It wasn't going to help that Merle was still in the picture, but there were more pressing matters at hand, and Glenn needed to push his feelings aside.

As Harry reached the car, he gently put a sleeping Hermione back onto his lab.

"She ain't looking good," Merle spoke next to him, with a look of worry on his face.

Harry nodded silently, and was grateful that Rick and the others returned shortly after. Hermione had fallen asleep or became unconscious, he wasn't sure. Her swallowed tightly and hoped that he was able to heal her. He could feel her breathing came across his neck, as her head rested against his shoulder.

"What did he do to her?" Harry asked suddenly, needing to know how much the Governor had hurt her.

It took Merle a moment to speak up, "You don' wanna know. Trust me."

"Tell me!" Harry commanded evenly, as he looked down at Hermione's beaten face. Not even during the torture in Malfoy Manor or at the Battle of Hogwarts, did she look like this.

"The Governor used her as a punchin' bag. She tried escaping and… well, yeah. He punished her. Breaking off almost all her fingers and leaven a few. Saying he wanna see how she would try to escape now. And yet, he still bound her to a chair and let someone watch her. He… kept hurtin' her, whenever she refused to give him what he wanted."

"And ya jackass stayed with him? Let him beat up a woman? A defenseless woman?" Daryl asked angrily, as he turned around to look at his brother, fixing him with a disgusted glare. Rick's hand tightened on the steering wheel.

"Hey, what should I have done? I tried to stop him, but that man is dangerous, bro."

"What happened then?" Harry cut in, just as Daryl turned around and muttered "cheap coward" loud enough for everyone to hear.

"The only time she talked was when the Governor threatened her soldier friend, Lieutenant something."

"Lieutenant Welles?" Harry asked and for a brief horrible moment, he thought that he had left the man behind, but before Harry could ask about his whereabouts, Merle continued, "Yeah, him. The Governor killed him anyway. Kept his head as a trophy, in his fish tanks, even when-."

"What?" Rick asked shocked.

"What the fuck, man?", Daryl shouted taken aback. "How could ya stay with that son of a bitch?"

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down. This finally explained the room he had found Michonne, with the severed undead heads on the ground, in a pool of water and pieces of glasses.

"Didn't have nowhere to go. He ain't like that at first, changed later and by then I couldn't leave. No one leaves once there. Don' ya think I didn' wanna leave that fucker? But in time, I got him a lil' in control and I protected kitten here, as much as I could."

"What do you mean, you protected her?" Harry cut in before Daryl could shout more at his brother. Hermione had said the same thing and he wanted to know what Merle had done for her.

"The Governor tasked me with his interrogation on yar Lieutenant and he was quite the chatty box, I tell ya. That ass told me all about her two kids, having traveled with her and such. A wonder he didn' tell us first about it. Can ya imagine what the Governor would have done if he got a hold of these kids? I made him shut up. Told him to never utter a single damn word about them or I would kill him, but the Governor did it anyway. Luckily he kept his mouth shut. I wasn't there when it happened. He wanted to see if what kitten spoke of was true and it was. He never turned, but the Governor still saved him a spot on his walker collection tanks."

Harry eyes widened at the possible implication. His heart raced at the thought that things could have turned out much worse. Harry tightened slightly his arms around Hermione. He gave Merle a silent nod in thanks for his help.

"Hold on! What do you mean he never turned?" Rick asked surprised.

"Oh yeah, kitten here created somethin' to stop us all from turnin' into walkers and the Governor wanted the wonder cure."

"What the hell?" Daryl exclaimed in shock and turned to look at Harry.

"You said she was immune and wouldn't turn," Rick spoke and looked from the review mirror at Harry, completely baffled, "You meant she created a cure to stop this? She knows how to stop this?"

Harry sighed a little, knowing that they deserved to know and replied, "Yes, Hermione and Dr. Harris, created a serum that stopped this transformation from happening. It repairs the damage in our DNA and immunizes the body from infection. There is no mutation anymore, no turning after death or through a bite wound. Everything would go back to normal."

"Jesus," Daryl breathed out, sounding a little shaken at the information.

"That's why you said she won't turn, cause she can't get turned into a walker," Rick said, still shaken at the revelation.

"Yes," Harry said and turned towards Merle, ending any further question about the serum and asked, "What else did he do to her?"

"Won't get better," Merle said with a solemn voice

"Tell me!" Harry insisted firmly.

Merle sighed and continued, "At first, the Governor began to reduced her food and water down to once a day. Sometimes I sneaked more to her. Always had to test the food and drink before she ate anything'. And all the time she ain't talking… never seen such a tough cookie like that. Kitten got some sharp claws, I tell ya. Never begged the Governor to stop. No, sir. Not once." He shook his head to empathized his words and Harry could see some sort of admiration in his eyes, before he continued, "I… asked her to give him what he wanted, but she won' have it. Said the Governor would use it to get more power, give the serum only to people he'd choose… and boy was she right. Oh, yes, I tell ya, he had plans with it. Big plans. Told me all about it. But the Governor got impatient and began to get more… creative if ya wanna call it. He… he wanted to see this… immunity with his own eyes. Wasn't enough for him to see the proof by killin' the Lieutenant. Oh, no… he wanted the real deal and brought a biter to her, his little girl."

"What?"

"Fuckin' hell!"

Harry stayed silent, trying to control his raging heart. The need to go back and kill the bloody bastard grew stronger in him, the more Merle spoke.

"Yeah," Merle continued, "Tried to stop him, but he wouldn' listen… Let his walker girl chew on kitten's arm. Think that was two or three days ago."

"Your sure she won't turn?" Daryl asked as he turned to look at Harry.

Harry shook his head and said, "She won't turn, nor will she die of it. She would have been dead, if it wasn't working."

"He's right, little brother. The other doc tested her blood all the time and he ain't seen a change in it."

"What happened then?" Harry focused back on the topic.

"The Governor continued his beatin', but got calmer and more distracted after he got in the shacks with blondie. Gave kitten a lil' break. Well, most of the time, that is. He still kept beatin' her, whenever he wasn't busy."

"Why was her shirt cut open, when I found her?" Harry wanted to know and this time everyone looked at him.

"Hey, I ain't nothing to do with it. Swear it!"

"What happened?" Harry asked as his anger become harder to control. "Did he…", he couldn't finish the question and balled his fist. The thought made him shake in rage.

Merle shook his head and Harry felt his breath out in relief, as he gently pulled Hermione closer to him.

"No, never went further than that, as much as I know." At their confused looks, he continued, "When I got there, he cut her shirt open with a knife. Told him he was needed. Stopped him… and he left with me. Kept an eye on him and busy. Pushed Andrea towards him. Then you guys came."

Harry nodded, as he finally saw the prison. He looked down at the hopefully just sleeping Hermione in his arms.

"He will pay for this," Harry vowed gravely.

Rick, Daryl and Harry finally began to realize with whom they are dealing with and how dangerous this Governor truly was. But the Governor didn't know with whom he just messed around and Harry would see that he paid for it.

* * *

A/N: It was really fun writing this chapter and I hope you all enjoyed it as well… and can I just say that I absolutely love this badass Harry (LOL, even when I wrote him?)!?


	17. Chapter 16 - Safe Haven

A/N: I want to thank everyone for all the amazing reviews! And I am completely overwhelmed and really happy to see how many have been following this story or put it on their favorite list. Thank you all so much! :)

And those who celebrated Thanksgiving… I wish you all a happy belated Thanksgiving. Hope you had a nice holiday :)

I apologize for the long wait. I have been working on the other chapters and needed to focus on them more, which was a bitch. I kept struggling at some point and it took me longer than I expected. Unfortunately, I still need a little more time to lose my writing hiccup. There are important information and events that needs to be added in the following chapters to make this story work. Therefor, my next post will be two weeks later, which I will use to write like crazy (and hopefully finish the story up) and then post regularly, like once a week. So, wish me luck.

And now, hope you enjoy the next chapter :)

* * *

**Chapter 16 - Safe Haven**

* * *

**20****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

It was quiet in the car for the remaining time, as they finally approached the prison. Harry could see Carol and Carl approaching the gates, opening it quickly and letting them in. A few undead were roaming near the prison, but they were too slow to reach the cars in time, as the gates closed behind them.

Rick stopped the car, as soon as he was through the second gate. He left the car and stood next to the open passenger door, as he said to Daryl, "Drive them up. I'll meet you there."

"Alright," Daryl agreed, left the car and walked around the vehicle. He quickly hugged Carol, before he took the driver's seat and drove in, just as Rick rushed to his son, kneeled down and hugged him tightly.

They drove all the way through the last gate and stopped near the entrance. He moved Hermione a little and was just about grab the door handle, when it opened and revealed Oscar on the other side.

"Want me to carry her?" Oscar offered.

Harry nodded, as he said, "Yes, thank you."

Oscar gently took the still unconscious Hermione in his own arms, when suddenly the prison door opened, only to reveal Maggie's sister, Beth. She rushed quickly towards her sister and hugged her tightly. She turned to look at the others and sucked in her breath when she spotted Hermione in Oscar's arm.

"Oh my God," she breathed out in shock. "What happened to her?"

"Where are Teddy and Jon?" Harry asked, not wanting to explain what had happened. Right now, he had bigger things to worry about now and Teddy would be another issue.

"Inside with my dad," Beth answered, barely able to remove her gaze from Hermione. Rick had finally joined them all.

"We have a problem," Rick suddenly spoke. "Looks like four new people were found inside the prison."

"Where the hell did they come from?" Daryl asked surprised.

"We'll find out," Rick said and nodded towards Oscar, who had Hermione in his arms, "After we help her."

Harry nodded in thanks to Rick, as he took the lead of the group back into the prison. Oscar, Beth and Carl quickly followed, right after Harry and Rick. Merle and Daryl tagged on a little slower. Harry noted that Daryl said something to his brother, but couldn't understand what he said.

Inside the prison, they quickly passed the new group, sparing them only a glance as they walked into their prison block entrance. Harry cast a quick privacy spell at their cell block, explaining to Rick, "It will give us privacy. They won't be able to listen to us, but we can listen to them."

Rick nodded in understanding, just as Teddy's exciting voice caught his attention.

"Dad!" his son called out and rushed towards him, with Jon in his arms. Harry closed the space quickly between them and pulled them into a tight hug. He felt incredibly relieved that he was back with them. That his family was back together. Harry took Jon from Teddy's arms and the toddler immediately wrapped his little arms around Harry's neck.

"Did you-" Teddy began to ask about Hermione, but Harry cut him off.

"We have your aunt, but I need to you stay away," he spoke gently.

"What? Why? What's wrong?" Teddy asked with a rising panic in his voice.

Beth walked in with Oscar, who carried Hermione. He quickly walked into a cell, led by Beth and Hershel. Even from this distance, Harry could see the injuries on her.

"What- What did they-" Teddy stammered shakily.

Harry put a gentle hand on his should and made Teddy look at him. He took a deep breath and tried to explain, "Hermione has been hurt, Teddy. I don't want you to see her like this and I don't think she would like it much either."

"Will she be ok?" Teddy asked fearfully.

"Yes, I will make sure of that," Harry answered firmly and hoped to Merlin that he wouldn't break his promise.

Teddy nodded with tears shining in his eyes, until they widened in shock and something like fear in the direction he came from. Harry followed his stare and saw Merle and Daryl enter the block.

He cursed under his breath, before he turned back towards his son and tried to explain, "Teddy, I-"

"What is he doing here?" Teddy asked in a terrified voice.

Harry sighed in frustration, not sure how he could make his son see reason. "It's a little complicated-"

"Complicated?" Teddy cut him off and looked at Harry with wide disbelieving eyes. "Complicated!? He was there when they attacked us and killed everyone! He was one of them!" Teddy shouted angrily.

"Hey, hey, little boy, just relax," Merle addressed Teddy with a lazy voice. "Ya ain't get it. Grown up stuff, ya see."

Without warning Teddy's hair changed to a deep red, as he marched up to Merle and grabbed under his shirt sleeve. Several people cursed in surprise at the sudden change in Teddy's appearance.

"Teddy, no!" Harry shouted, but it was too late. Teddy pulled out his wand and sent Merle hurling back against the wall, with a quite strong _Flipedo_ jinx. Everyone gasped out in shock at the display of magic, and took a few steps back.

"What the hell, boy?" Merle exclaimed as he regained his footing, but Teddy moved his wand as he slowly stalked towards him. Like a predator approaching its prey.

Harry quickly gave Jon to Carol, just as Teddy cast the Bat-Bogey hex at Merle, making sickly green looking bats fly out of his nose and attacking him instantly. Merle began to shout in shock and disbelief and tried to bate off the creatures.

"Teddy! Stop this!" Harry called out as he swiftly crossed the distance between him and his son. Harry noted that the tension in the group began to grow further, especially since not everyone was aware of magic yet nor did they truly know what it was capable of. He needed to get the situation under control, as quickly as possible.

But Teddy was not responding to Harry. He was completely focused on Merle. Harry quickly cast a _Finite _spell at Merle, ending Teddy's hex, but his son had other plans and quickly cast a _Melofors_ jinx at the man. Turning his head into a pumpkin. The people in the cell block cursed loudly in shock at the display.

"Did he- Did he just turn Merle's head into a _pumpkin_?" Glenn asked incredulously, sounding quite amused.

Harry quickly sent a disarming spell at his son, making his wand fly into his own hands, before he cast a quick spell that shattered the pumpkin and revealed a distraught Merle. Ignoring his shouts of complain, as he ran towards his son and grabbed his shoulders. It didn't stop Teddy from trying to attack the man. He swiftly changed his appearance by morphing his eyes and teeth into that of a werewolf, while the nails of his hands turned into claws. Some of the people screamed and cursed at the sighed, especially after Teddy growled at Merle.

Harry wrapped his arms tightly around his son, stopping him from attacking Merle, which caused Teddy to unintentionally scratch Harry in the process, but his son was completely unaware of the fact, as he kept trying to get to Merle. By now, several people held their weapons ready in fear.

"Teddy, listen! TEDDY! STOP THIS! RIGHT NOW!" Harry shouted over his son's growl and made him look at Harry. "You're scaring everyone! You're scaring Jon and the baby!"

Finally getting through him, Teddy stopped his attempt to attack Merle and looked down in shame. Harry watched as his son turned back the way he usually did, but instead of the usual black hair, it turned to a pale blue. It was an indication that he was still emotional wrung up, that he hadn't been able to control his Metamorphmagus ability.

A moment later, Teddy worriedly turned around. He finally comprehended what he had done and looked back down at his feet after seeing the scared faces and the two babies crying in the adults arms.

"I understand that you are angry, Teddy, but this is not the way to handle it. Especially, not now. Your aunt is badly hurt and I need to help her," Harry spoke sternly. Teddy only nodded silently.

"I know what he did, Teddy, but he didn't do this to your aunt. He didn't hurt her. Do you understand?" Harry continued, trying to make Teddy see sense. The teenager only nodded quietly, before he broke away and took off out of the cell block, towards the exit.

Carl quickly followed him, informing Harry and Rick as he rushed passed them, "I'll go after him."

Rick nodded and Harry thanked him for his help. He sighed at the situation and looked around. Everyone was staring at him, and after a moment spoke gently, "I'm sorry about this."

"I get that," Rick spoke a little wary, "but this can't happen again."

"And it won't," Harry promised.

"What the hell?" Merle exclaimed angrily, "That kid is dangerous. He's a monster-"

Harry's eyes flashed dangerously, as he took a step closer to the man and before he could say anything, Daryl cut in, snapped at his brother, "Shut up, Merle! You deserved what that kid did to you, jackass."

Harry was thankful that Daryl put his annoying brother in his place, but that didn't stop Harry from giving Merle his own piece of mind and added in a harsh voice, "If you ever call my son a monster again, I will make what he did to you seem like a tickle, got that?"

Merle immediately raised his hands in surrender, "Loud and clear, boss."

Harry turned to the others and said, "I know some of you didn't know it, but Dr. Granger, Teddy and I are wizards. Magic is real and by revealing this to you, I am breaking the International Statute of Secrecy. I know you have a lot of questions, and I promise to you, I will explain everything after we treat Hermione and I'm guessing the situation outside as well. But right now, I need you to keep this confidential. No one is allowed to know about magic and I am already breaking every law by telling you this."

"Alright, we will wait, for now. We want to know everything afterwards," Rick spoke up and Harry nodded in agreement. Rick took the lead, as they walked towards the cell, where Hermione was placed and he noted that she looked paler than before. Rick sent Daryl and his brother to watch over the new people, until they handled the situation with Hermione first.

"Damn it!" Harry cursed, as he _Accio_-ed Hermione's and his backpacks, ignoring the surprised looks of the others, as he quickly pulled out several bottle of potions and put them on the bed.

"I need to make a mirror call to someone, who will be able to help her. It's like a phone call," Harry explained, as he pulled out the said device. He tabbed his wand against the mirror and called out, "Minerva McGonagall."

A moment later the mirror opened and the tired face of the headmistress greeted him, _"Potter, thank Merlin you are alright. Have you found your children and -"_

"Yes, everyone is safe." Harry interrupted with an urgent voice, "but I need Madame Pomfrey right now."

_"What is-" _

"It's Hermione, she is in a… she needs help. I need Pomfrey, right now!"

McGonagall's eyes widened at Harry's words and quickly assured him that she would get the mediwitch immediately. Harry placed the mirror next to Hermione on the bed. They could see how the headmistress walked down the deserted hallway of Hogwarts. The children were probably still in class. Harry moved closer to Hermione and moved her hair out of the way. She was still not responsive and her slow breathing worried him greatly.

"How's this possible?" Hershel spoke outside the cell, sounding astonished.

Harry ignored the question and quickly turned towards the group and asked, "Can anyone bring me a bowl and towels, if you have some?"

Beth nodded and told him that she would get them.

"What are these?" Hershel asked as he walked closer into the small cell, with his crutches.

Harry glanced at the mirror for a moment, when she heard another voice coming from it. It had been Mrs Weasley. He could hear how the headmistress quickly told her to get Malfoy to the infirmary, not explaining further and quickly going on her way. Harry turned towards the elderly man, before he turned towards Beth and took the supplies from her hand.

"They are healing potions," Harry explained, as he placed the bowl on the ground and the towels next to Hermione. "It's like medicine, but much more stronger and effective."

"Like magic," Beth commented and stood next to her father.

Harry noted that the people began to relax more around him.

"Yes," he answered and cast a quick _Aquamenti_ inside the bowl and heating spell over the water. "It heals faster, but most of these potions only work on witches and wizards. There are also potions and spells that can help non magical people."

Harry cleaned the towels with _Scourgify_ spell, before he moved towards Hermione and cast a_ Tergeo_ spell on Hermione, to remove the dried blood off of her. He began at her face first and swallowed tightly at the sight. Without the blood on her face and neck, they could see the extent of her injuries. He tried not to think of the possible torture she had gone through, as he moved towards her arms next.

"My God," Hershel spoke gently. "Why would they do this to her?"

_"Mr Potter, what's going on?"_ Madame Pomfrey spoke up suddenly through the mirror and getting Harry's attention. He quickly explained the situation to the mediwitch, who told him to move the mirror towards Hermione. Harry asked Beth to hold the mirror towards Hermione, while he cast the spell.

_"Dear Merlin almighty,"_ McGonagall gasped out in horror behind Madame Pomfrey,_ "What monster would do such a thing to her?" _

_"Not now, Minerva. Cast a diagnostic spell, Mr Potter,"_ the mediwitch ordered, keeping her emotions under control and took a deep breath before starting to ask questions about Hermione, _"I need to know her current condition. Is she responsive, Potter? When was the last time she was conscious?"_

"I think that was an hour ago," he looked at Rick for a moment, who nodded at Harry, confirming that he was right.

"She has't woken up yet," Harry added worriedly.

_"Do a full screening over her. I need to know her full condition. Move the mirror along with it, I need to see everything, Mr Potter." _

Harry did as he was told and quickly cast the diagnostic spell over Hermione. He began down from her legs and moved slowly up, while Beth made sure the mirror followed his movement. Madame Pomfrey listed down the results, when McGonagall exclaimed in shock, _"Are- are these muggles there with you, Mr Potter?" _

"Yes, Headmistress."

But before the McGonagall could ask further question, the mediwitch cut in sternly, _"Minerva, there's time for it later. Ms Granger needs our help right at this moment."_

_"Very well, but I want the whole story, Mr Potter," _McGonagall agreed reluctantly

Harry quickly agreed with McGonagall and continued with the examination by moving up towards her torso, chest, neck, and head. He vaguely heard from the mirror background how McGongall seemed to have explained to the two newcomers Malfoy and Mrs Weasley, of the current situation, according to the shocked cry of Mrs Weasley, but they ignored it and Madame Pomfrey listed her injuries, she read from the spell. Beth moved the mirror towards Harry's direction, as soon as Harry cancelled the spell.

_"The minor problems are the signs of malnourishment, dehydration, soft tissue damage and minor cuts, as well as the seven broken fingers on Ms Granger's body,"_ the mediwitch stated her results. _"The most concerning injuries are on her torso and her head. She has three broken ribs, decreased breath sounds on the left side, due to the punctured lung, a tear in the liver, resulted by a blunt kidney trauma, which looks in the beginning state of healing. Did you give Ms Granger something, Mr Potter?" _

"Yes, I gave her of what was left of the Viscera Potion."

The mediwitch nodded gravely and, continued, _"Good thinking. It stopped the bleeding and further damage to the organs. She still has internal bleeding, which we need to address as soon as possible."_ She took a deep shaky breath and continued with her assessment,_ "What worries me are the swellings on her trachea, due to the strangulation, as well as the multiple blunt traumas to the face and head. It would explain the mild brain swelling, which is the result of her unconsciousness. Her vitals are becoming more unstable. We need to move fast, Mr Potter. Tell me what potions you have." _

Harry began to list the names of the potions he had, which weren't much to begin with. In the months she spent working on NOVA, Hermione didn't have the time to restock and brew potions. Harry was at best only slightly good and that was only due to Hermione's involvement.

_"I need you to set her bones straight, Potter. Unfortunately you don't have any Skeleto Grow potion with you. This will prolong her healing process, but first, we need to set her rib bones straight before we give her potions to stop the internal bleeding and begin to heal the damage done to her. Professor Malfoy will assist you in making the potion we will need, after we attended to Ms Granger first."_

"What do I need to do first?" Harry asked the mediwitch.

_"Someone needs to make sure that Ms Granger won't move when you set her bones straight, Potter. I know she is unconscious right now, but the slightest twitch on her part can cause more damage. I don't want to risk magical bindings on her, not with her injuries." _

"I can do that," Oscar spoke up and walked into the small room towards Hermione's head and Maggie followed quickly and grabbed her foot at the other end of the bed. Hershel moved away and gave them more room as Harry slowly went and removed the damaged shirt on Hermione with a quick spell. It left her in a black bra and under any other circumstances Harry would have quickly looked away from his best friend, but seeing the damage made him rooted on the spot. Several people sucked in their breath in shock, even Madame Pomfrey who could keep a cool head in a dire situation, gasped out in shock, _"Dear Morgana and Merlin above." _

She quickly moved away from the others and told Malfoy to join her and when he saw her, he became paler than a ghost and hissed under his breath, before he looked away from the mirror. Madame Pomfrey quickly told him that he would need to help Harry to examine the potions he had with him, before they gave them to Hermione.

But first, they would need to do the more gruesome part now. Madame Pomfrey guided Harry through the procedure, telling him which bone to set first and what spells to cast.

Harry tapped the wand twice on the area he would need to cast the spell and spoke_ Lenio_ spell, a charm that would numb the area and relieve her of the pain. Liquid opal droplets dripped from the wand tip directly over the area. The charm wasn't as effective as the potion, but it would still reduce the pain.

As soon as Harry set the first bone right, Hermione began to shake violently and for a moment Harry had the horrified thought that he did the spell wrong and hurt Hermione. Hershel immediately took over and told Oscar and Maggie to let go of Hermione, as she went into a seizure due to the shock on her body.

_"Potter! POTTER!"_ Madame Pomfrey shouted through the mirror getting Harry's shocked attention. _"The man, whoever he is, was right. I need you to cast another diagnostic spell on her now." _

Harry nodded and quickly followed the mediwitch's instructions and cast the spell on Hermione, while she was still trashing. He held up the spell and let the mediwitch read the results from the lights and graphs.

_"It's as I feared. Her internal bleeding is progressing. We need to fix those bones, before we treat her with any potions." _

Harry breathed heavily, before he steeled himself to continue with the next bone, he noted that Carol switched Jon with the baby in Rick's arms. Even though Rick was someone new to Jon, the toddler didn't make a fuss and looked at Rick with wide curious eyes. The tall man, moved the toddler a little to hide his view of Hermione.

Harry looked away and motioned for Maggie and Oscar to help with Hermione again. He cast another_ Lenio_ spell over the injury, before he quickly set the other two bones straight. Thankfully there wasn't another seizure, but the stillness of Hermione scared him.

_"Good, now we need to attend to the internal damage, as fast as possible, Mr Potter." _

Harry took a deep breath and followed the instructions of Madame Pomfrey and Malfoy.

* * *

**20****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Teddy**

Teddy stared aimlessly into the distance, as he sat outside on one of the prison chairs, when suddenly someone sat next to him. A quick glance to his left revealed Carl, who looked at him curiously, wearing his sheriff hat.

Teddy didn't know what to say after he not only revealed magic, but also scared everyone by attacking that man and changing his appearance.

"Can everyone change their appearance like you? I mean those who can do magic," Carl spoke up sounding genuinely interested. Teddy looked at Carl and could see that he wasn't scared of him, just curious.

After a moment, Teddy shook his head and explained, "No, not every witch or wizard can do it. I've got it from my mum. It's called Metamorphmagus," Teddy paused for a moment, before he said, "I'm sorry if I scared you back there, with what I did. I was just so… angry when I saw him."

Carl nodded in understanding. "I get that. I knew Merle a while ago, well he was a douche back than before he disappeared… It was kinda cool seeing the things you did to him."

Teddy chuckled a little at Carls word, glad that he didn't freak him out. He was relieved that he didn't have to hide his ability anymore, even though he was in big trouble with his dad.

"So, you can change your appearance at will?" Carl asked interested.

"Yes, it can be difficult sometimes though." At his confused look, Teddy explained, "Sometimes it's difficult to keep it under control, especially when I'm…angry, sad or … well, something like that."

Carl nodded and smiled a little, "It's kinda cool."

"Yeah," Teddy said and smiled in return a little.

"Can you change now?"

Without saying anything, Teddy changed his hair to green, blue, pink, and back to black.

"Cool," Carl said smiling at the little display of magic.

Both stayed quiet for a while, looking over the prison and the undead from the distance.

"What happened to your mom?" Carl asked gently. "I mean, if that's ok to ask."

Teddy took a moment before he explained, "There was a war in the magical part of England. I was born during that time. My dad, he is actually my godfather, he was the main target by a group of evil wizards and witches. They wanted to kill my dad and people like my aunt, the one you saw back there. She was the second most wanted at that time. It's a long story.

"Anyway, I was barely a month old when the final battle happened and my parents, my real mom and dad, they went to fight. Our side won the war, but my parents died that day. I lived with my grandmother, until she died when I was five. From there on I lived with my dad, well my godfather. I never knew my parents. Not really. Only those stories that people told me."

Both stayed silent after a moment, until Carl spoke gently, not looking at Teddy, "My mum died too. A few weeks ago, on the day Judith was born. An ex-prisoner ambushed us with walkers. My mum, Maggie and I hid in the boiler room and then the baby was coming. Maggie she had to… take the baby out and my mum was dying. We couldn't help her. She was out. Hadn't turned yet… when I ended it… I shot my mom."

Teddy didn't know what else to say. To say that he was shocked and even horrified at the information was an understatement. He knew he had a quite sheltered life compared to this boy next to him and up until now, he wasn't aware of how protected it had been.

"I'm sorry about your mom and what you had to do."

Truth to be told, Teddy wasn't sure if he could do what Carl did. He could only imagine the guilt, regret and sadness he must feel. He knew how it felt to not have real parents. Even though his godparents, especially Harry, loved and cared for him as if he was their real child, there was still a little part of him that wondered how his real parents would have been, if they hadn't died.

"I'm sorry about your parents," Carl said and Teddy nodded in acknowledgment. He could understand how it felt to have lost his parents, even if it wasn't to the undead. It still sucked at the end of it.

* * *

**20****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

It felt like forever when Harry gave Hermione the last potion with the help of Beth. He tilted her head, Beth gently stimulated her throat, making her swallow it. Afterwards he placed her head gently back on the pillow and cast another diagnostic spell over her.

The mediwitch sighed in relief, as she read the results, _"Thank Merlin, it worked. The brain swelling is decreasing, her vitals have improving. The bones will be tender for a few days and you will have to cast new bandages over her twice a day on her broken bones. Professor Malfoy will prepare some ingredients, which he will send to you as soon as possible and will assist you in the brewing process. Meanwhile, you should tend to Ms Grangers cuts with the Essence of Dittany. Also add five drops of Star Grass in the basin of warm water, you have prepared and put the towels in them. Put the wet cloth around Ms Granger's head and repeat the procedure every hour, until she wakes up." _

Harry nodded and quickly went to work. He grabbed the Essence of Dittany first, the bottle with the brown liquid shook dangerously in his hand.

"Beth and I can do it," Maggie offered, after seeing the state Harry was in. "Just show us which potions we have to apply to her."

"Thank you," Harry said in relief and explained quickly which potions they needed and how to use the potions. He made sure they followed his instructions correctly and that they knew everything.

"You can also use the Dittany on Glenn's injury. It's one of the few potions that can work on non-magical people. It will heal the cuts and with the Star Grass oil in the water, you can reduce the swelling on his face," Harry offered. Maggie smiled a little and nodded in thanks. Hershel suggested that he could do that after they finished.

Making sure that everything was going alright, Harry picked up the mirror on the bed, which Maggie had placed and with a last glance at Hermione, he walked out of the cell. He made his way towards Rick, who sat on the stair, holding a sleeping Jon in his arms. Harry leaned against the wall right next to Rick and took a shaky breath. He told Rick that Hermione was stable now and would be fine soon.

_"Mr Potter," _McGonagall's voice spoke over the mirror, _"we need to know what happened." _

Harry nodded to the mirror and said, "Give us five minutes, Headmistress."

He turned towards the gathering group and asked, "Could someone get Daryl and his brother? I think it would be best to explain it once."

Glenn nodded and walked towards the entrance.

Harry looked at Rick and said, "I don't think it would be good to have Teddy and Carl here for this. "

Rick agreed, just as Beth walked out of Hermione's cell towards Rick and gently took the sleeping child from his arms. She told them that she would place him into one of the beds and stay close with him. Harry thanked her. She reminded him of Luna, except for the missing eccentric behavior.

Daryl walked back with Merle in tow, closely followed by Glenn, and to his disappointment, Teddy and Carl as well. Harry sighed and glanced at Rick. Sending the children back now wouldn't be possible, not without starting a fight. He knew he had isolated Teddy from the reality as long as he could, but that was over now. In the past weeks, he had witnessed how the world had changed for the worse and how someone important to him got hurt. Harry was just thankful that Teddy hadn't witnessed the extent of Hermione's injuries.

Harry took a deep breath and looked around the room and at the mirror. He could see that by now several adults had joined the infirmary, waiting for Harry to begin to explain.

"I don't know where to start," Harry confessed, feeling completely exhausted due to the past hours he had experienced.

_"Begin to explain what happened to Ms Granger, Mr Potter,"_ McGonagall spoke up briskly before anyone else could say anything, _"And why you deemed it necessary to reveal our world to these muggles."_

Daryl and Merle cursed from the other side of the prison at the mirror, having not seen it since they had left the room. Carl on the other hand looked simply curious and walked closer. Teddy, Harry noted, went to look at Hermione.

Harry exhaled and rubbed his face tiredly and nodded, "All right, since it would be the shorter version to tell. Afterwards, I'll explain everything from starting at the beginning. They deserve to know what's going on and for what they risked their life for."

_"Very well, Mr Potter. You do know what it's at risk by revealing our world to them." _

Harry took a deep breath and explained from the point on how and where he had found Teddy and Jon, took a rescue party to get Hermione out and the other kidnapped people from this group.

"Things became more dangerous from there on. Even then I didn't reveal my magic, but assisted with several wandless spells."

"What?" Rick asked surprised.

Harry looked at him and said, "The spells I cast made us appear unnoticed, protected or defended us, well as much as you can do without using a wand. I will explain more later," he promised and continued to speak to the mirror, "We found the two people from this group held hostage by them, ordered by the leader of the town, who calls himself the Governor, to execute them. We were able to free these two, but came into the crossfire with the people in this town. I assisted the group in their escape, before I left to find Hermione with the help of someone else. We…" Harry stopped and looked at Teddy worriedly. He didn't want to reveal in front of his son.

"Teddy, could you look for your aunt? See how she is doing."

Teddy frowned back at him and responded, "Aunt Mione is sleeping. You don't have to send me away. I can handle it."

Harry looked at his son for a moment and sighed deeply. He didn't like keeping things from Teddy, but neither didn't want to reveal what happened next, but nonetheless, Harry knew he would hear about it sooner or later and nodded in the end, before he continued, "I found Hermione in the attic, bound to a chair… signs of torture could be seen on her body. Possibly from the beginning since her capturing. Her… clothes- shirt was ripped open, showing signs of possible sexual assault."

Gasps of horror came from the other side of the mirror. Harry glanced at Teddy, who looked ghastly pale, but remained silent.

"In the room with her were two other people. A guard and a scientist, who was about to … do something to her. He had medical equipments, which he was about to apply on her. I took care of the two muggles and got Hermione out. We got out with little resistants and once outside I saw the extensions of her wounds. She was barely breathing and hardly responding at that time… I… I thought that I-" Harry broke off and took a deep breath to collect himself.

"I made the decision to reveal my magic to them by casting a diagnostic spell to see the condition of Hermione and how far her injuries were and as you know I treated her with a Viscera Potion to heal the internal injuries. Afterwards, it was revealed that one of the members of the rescue group was held hostage, it was decided to rescue him. Hermione and two others left to a safe location, while I went with the others to rescue the person. By then, I started to use of my magic openly. We were successful and returned back to the others. That's when we came back here and I called you."

The usual composed and controlled headmistress looked quite shaken and upset at the information. It took her a while to finally speak in an unsteady voice, _"Under these circumstances, I can see that it was necessary to use magical assistance. I will speak with the Minister and inform him about Ms Granger's condition and of the events that lead to this situation. I'm sure the Minister will call you afterwards."_

Someone spoke inaudibly from the background to the headmistress, who she quickly agreed with.

_"Mr Malfoy will have the package with the ingredients ready in two hours. He will assist you on how to brew them accordingly."_

"Thank you, headmistress."

_"Of course. Please keep your mirror close to you, Mr Potter,"_ and with a quick goodbye, McGonagall ended the mirror call.

Harry looked at the silent group around him and exhaled tiredly.

"I guess it's your turn to find out whats going on," he stated and began to tell from the very beginning, how Hermione had been in America when the outbreaks occurred, the military base Fort Polk, about Dr. Walter Harris, the Atlanta CDC and how they failed to create a connection. Hermione's and Walter's work. He explained as best as he could how she had discovered the mutation in the DNA and how it worked.

"They worked for months, Hermione and Dr. Harris. For hours, sometimes without getting any sleep, not eating properly, until Hermione had the final break through. She found the key factor to the vaccine that would repair the damage in our DNA and immunize our body from a mutation caused by the infection, or any form of death."

"That's why you were sure she wouldn't turn," Rick concluded.

"Yes," Harry agreed. "She is immune, as are Teddy, Jon and I. She was able to give us a shot of the serum." Harry sighed and paused for a moment before he continued, "We planned to get the formula to Washington with the computers, but they went down a few days ago, before the discovery of the serum. The technician at the base tried to fix the problem, but they couldn't do it in time. After the trials and the confirmation that NOVA worked, that's the name of the serum, Hermione and Walter gave it to around 200 soldiers at the base, before the serum went empty. A team, including myself went out to get more supplies for Hermione and Walter to produce more of NOVA, but it never came to it.

"I heard it over the radio when they told us that the base was under attack. Hundreds of undead were coming from everywhere, cities, highways, towns. The base didn't see it coming due to the computer damage and lack of access to several cameras outside the compound.

"The General ordered the evacuation of both Hermione and Walter to Washington with a troop of national guards and soldiers. Everything was fine, we got back the connection and I planned to follow them in a few days, but then we lost contact."

"This… mutation," Rick began after a moment. "Was it caused by magic?"

"No, absolutely not. Hermione can explain this better than I can. The short story is that whatever caused this mutation isn't magical at all. It affects us just like any other non-magical human being." Or part-human being, but he left that part out, not wanting to confuse or get further into this discussion. "We still don't know what could have caused this global wide mutation."

"And we're to just believe tha'?" Merle cut in, snorted disbelievingly.

Harry turned to the man angrily and responded, "Yes, because it's the truth. This isn't caused by magic. We are also affected and can get turned, just like any other non-magical human."

"So this Governor," Daryl began, changing the topic and looked from Harry to his brother, before he continued, "wanted this cure, right? That's why he did that, didn' he? Beat up a woman up and _you let him_?! Did you watch him do it, you piece of shit?" Daryl shouted the last part at his brother.

"Hey, I tried to stop him as best as I could!" Merle defended himself, "Kept him busy, tried to keep him away."

"That's enough, Daryl," Rick spoke up and walked closer to the two of them, to calm them down.

Beth walked into the cell room where Jon was and soon brought the still sleepy toddler out, who rubbed his eyes tiredly. Beth quickly told Harry that she would give Jon something to eat. Harry thanked her, just as Hershel asked, "Is he… magical too?"

"What?" Harry asked confused.

"Little Jon here. You mentioned earlier that you, Teddy and the woman, Hermione, could do magic, but you didn't mention Jon."

By now everyone was looking at them, "On Hermione's journey to the Military base she found Jon with her mother. She was bitten and knew what would happen to her. She asked Hermione to take care of her child, which she's done ever since and no, Jon isn't magical."

"We still have more questions about your magic world, but right now we have more pressing matters to attend," Rick said and pointed at the door, where the other group was waiting for them.

"What do we do with them?" Carol asked.

"They seemed like decent people," Hershel spoke up, "Didn't cause any problems. They are scared and need shelter."

"We don't know them and they could cause a problem for us," Rick argued back. "And we have bigger problems with the Governor at hand."

"Tell them the truth, let them decide." Daryl spoke up. "And if they want to stay, we can put them with Merle in the other cell block. I'll stay there, keep an eye and get a feel on them."

Rick nodded after a moment and agreed to Daryl's plan. Rick asked the majority of the group to join him towards the new group waiting outside. He mentioned for Harry to follow him as well. Teddy, Carl, Jon and Beth stayed behind with Hermione, while Michonne, Harry saw was sleeping on a nearby cell. Hershel must have seen Harry's surprised look, as he explained that she was completely exhausted, hadn't probably slept in days.

Harry slowly followed Rick's group and stood a little behind them. He watched silently, how Rick, Glenn and Hershel questioned the newcomer on how they got in, about their backgrounds, until the woman, who was introduced by Hershel, named Sasha cut in and asked, "Is she okay? The woman that was carried in."

Rick looked at Harry for a moment, at with a nod from Harry, he turned back to the woman and said, "She was held hostage with two other people at a town nearby. And now we got them targeted at us. Do you still want to stay, knowing the danger we are in?"

"Why would they do something like that?" Sasha asked shocked.

This time Harry answered her question, "The leader of the town, calls himself the Governor. He wanted information from her, which she didn't give and he did this to her in result."

"What information could she have had that was so important to let herself be hurt like that?" the other, shorter man, Allen asked incredulously.

"You don't need to know that," Harry spoke sternly

"Why not? When you expect us to fight your fights in return for us to be able to stay here," Allen snorted.

Tyreese spoke quickly and said in a warning voice, "Allen, that's enough. We don't need to know that."

"There is no good enough explanation out there that could justify a woman being hurt like that," Sasha addressed Allen upset, before she looked back towards Rick, who looked annoyed at the group, but still said, "We will stay and help. Anyone who does this to a woman, no matter the reason is just sick and dangerous."

"We're no strangers to hard work," Tyreese added. "We'll go out and get our own food, stay out of your hair. As my sister said, you got a problem with another group, we'll help with that, too. Anything to contribute."

Rick looked at each one of the new group member in the face, before he looked at Daryl, who gave him a subtile nod. He turned towards the group and was about to say something when something at the corner of his eyes must have caught it, as he looked up at the window. Rick became more agitated and upset, shook his head and muttered no over and over again. Daryl walked slowly towards Rick and tried to get his attention, but he didn't react at all and shook his head frantically.

Harry quickly rushed over to Rick and grabbed his arm, which he pulled away. Harry saw the sweat on his face and the dilated pupils.

"Shit," Harry cursed and quickly looked at Daryl before he said, "The poison got back, the antidote wasn't enough. We need to get him back inside."

"What poison?" Daryl asked worriedly.

Rick looked at the window and spoke harshly, "Why are you here? What do you want from me? Why are you… No."

"Plant, maybe an animal bite. I'm not sure yet. We need to get him back inside, now!"

"Daryl, Oscar get Rick inside," Hershel took over, as they watched Rick get more angry, as he screamed at the same spot. Daryl and Oscar rushed towards Rick and forced him back into the cell block, while Hershel calmed the new group down and told them to stay put.

Oscar and Daryl put Rick on a chair and held him down, until Harry cast a quick magical bindings on him, followed by a diagnostic spell, which prooved Harry's theory of plant poisoning. He must have gotten in touch with a magical plant some time ago. Harry immediately _Accio_-ed Hermione's beaded handbag at him, and quickly pulled out a black flask with the Antidote to Common Poisons.

"Hold his head back," Harry told them and Daryl immediately went to do it. Rick trasheded and tried to get free, but the bindings wouldn't let him. Harry quickly opened the flask and gave him seven drops. The standard dosage for common poisoning, which could also be used on muggles.

Harry noted that Rick became calmer and with the last drop, fell asleep. Harry quickly cast another diagnostic spell over him and saw the previous sickly green sign, slowly disappear.

Harry sighed in relief and unbound Rick, who breathed in tiredly. Carl rushed to his father and wrapped his arms around him, who returned the hug tightly. Rick met Harry's eyes and nodded in thanks at the wizard, before he looked around and at the relieved faces of the people. At least any more danger could be prevented, before it could have caused more damage.

"Someone should tell the people out there that they can stay and bring them to their new cell block," Hershel spoke up after a moment.

"I'll do that," Daryl said, after he looked at Rick.

"I'll come with you," Oscar spoke up and walked towards Daryl. "Help you keep an eye on them. I'll just grab my things." The tall man quickly walked to a cell on the second floor, before he followed Daryl and Merle to the new group outside.

Harry sighed tiredly and gave Rick and his son some privacy, as he walked towards Teddy, who stood next to Hermione's cell door and quickly pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly. It had been a bloody long day and it wasn't even over yet.

* * *

**21****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Rick**

Everything was dark and silent as Rick woke up. It was still something new to him, being at a place that was safe and quiet, and yet they were still surrounded by danger. Whenever they believed themselves to be finally safe something happened that threatened their peace and safety and now he would have to make sure that his people, the growing group would be safe from another upcoming threat.

Rick rubbed his face tiredly at the situation, before he stood up and slowly walked out of the cell. Everyone was still asleep, as he slowly walked passed them and down the stairs. He moved towards the makeshift kitchen and drank a glass of water, before he made his way back. It would be at least two more hours before daybreak and knew that he should get some hours of sleep, before he would need to come up with a solution to ensure the safety of everyone. Even with a clear mind, which he hadn't felt for weeks, he couldn't settle down. All kinds of thoughts of the last weeks, options and ideas how to solve this mess were running through his head. The most shocking experience had been the revelation of witches and wizards.

It was still strange to believe that magic was real. Even after seeing the walking dead everyday, knowing that there had been a whole different world out there, still out there was something difficult to comprehend. Hell, it was even hard to believe that there was still a working functional government out there. But witnessing the way Harry and his boy had used their magic, even shifting their appearance was something truly shocking, something very hard to believe could be real. The things Harry could do with his abilities, defending and protecting them back at Woodbury, and healing the woman they had brought back, at which point he believed that she wouldn't survive, even without the bite wound.

It still sent chills down his spine when he recalled her injuries. He couldn't believe how much she had endured under the hands of her capture and not said a word. Hearing the extent of her abuse, or more accurately, her torture by the Governor, made him want to go back and return the favor.

During his line of work, before the world turned to shit, he had seen domestic violence on women, had known immediately when he met Carol for the first time back in Atlanta that she was familiar with this aspect of her previous marriage. It had been always somehow been a difficult situation for both Shane and himself to handle such cases. Especially Shane, who had taken up on himself to give those men a piece of their own medicine, whenever he could. Rick had no doubt in his mind that if Shane was still alive and not become crazy and dangerous for everyone, he would have taken it up on himself to make sure that the one responsible for Hermione's injuries suffered and Rick knew he would have joined Shane.

Rick shook his head at the memory of his long dead friend. Shane hadn't been the same since he had found them back in Atlanta and if he was honest with himself, nor was Lori. They had changed. Rick had changed. The world had changed and nothing would ever be the same again. But now they had a chance to fix this. All because of Dr. Hermione Granger and her serum that could stop everything once and for all. He hadn't hoped to have a real future for his family ever again. Up until this point, he had only one goal, keeping his family and friends alive no matter what, but now there was hope. A fearful and even thrilling new concept. He wouldn't have believed it, if he hadn't seen the bite wound on her wrist and Merle confirming everything Harry had told them. And to think that they had been so close to losing her, their only hope to finally finding a way to end this.

Rick pushed those fearful and dark thoughts away, as he drained his glass. His mind still felt tired, despite the healing of an unknown poisoning he apparently had. He recalled the hallucination, disorientation and the constant feeling of agitation he had for at least before Lori's death. Had blamed it at first for being exhausted and then later on the grief for loosing Lori.

Harry had explained to him, which Hershel confirmed later on, that this type of poisoning, probably caused by a plant, which when left untreated could increase the symptoms and possibly create a permanent neurologic damage. He noticed the change immediately after the magical medicine Harry gave him. He could focus again and those overloading feelings and hallucination were completely gone, but still recalled his unusual behavior in these last days to which he apologized to Hershel and later to the new group.

Even though he could think clearly again, it was like his mind was in overdrive, not able to settle. It would be at least another few hours until day break and knew that he should try to get some rest. As she slowly made his way back, he passed the cell room in which Hermione was put and was a little surprised to see their little boy, Jon sleeping next to the woman. His lips twitched to a little smile as he recalled the toddler, who reminded him so much of Carl at his age, who hadn't been afraid of strangers or discovering new things.

Above on the spare bed slept Teddy and at the far corner was Harry, sleeping on a couch, which he had magically changed from a chair. A small light ball was hovering in the air, giving a small warm light in the room. He wasn't sure if he would ever get used to it.

Next to Hermione's bed was the basin with the water mixed magical medicine. He recalled that Harry had explained to him later on that the cloth needed to be changed at least once an hour, to make sure the brain swelling reduced. Rick could see that Harry was completely out, he wasn't sure if he did it in the last hour and quickly decided to do it himself.

He slowly walked into the room and kneeled next to a sleeping Hermione and Jon. He marveled at the improvement on Hermione. The bruises on her face were almost gone, something that would have usually taken at least weeks, maybe even months if the injuries went deep.

Rick gently removed the now cold cloth from her forehead and put it into the basin of water, which to his surprise was still warm. He shook his head at the magical feat and imagined how things would have turned out differently if they had been there from the beginning, or at least had magic on their side. Many would probably be still alive.

He pushed those thoughts away and gently pressed the remaining water from the cloth with his hand, before he gently placed it on her head. Just as he was about to leave, a small groan came from the woman, who began to stir. For a moment, Rick wasn't sure what he should do, but in the end, decided to stay just in case she woke up. He didn't want her to panic and go into a full fighting stance, especially since the toddler was so close next to her.

Hermione's eyes blinked opened and she let out a small groan of pain, before she tried to look around and from what he could see began to panic.

"Hey, hey, it's alright," Rick whispered gently and put a protective hand on Jon's body, just in case. Hermione looked at Rick with wide disoriented eyes.

"Remember me? I'm Rick. Your friend Harry and my group got you out. You are safe."

Hermione looked back at him blinked several times, until he could see her recognizing him. She nodded gently, before she tried to remove the wet cloth from her forehead. Rick helped her and removed the cloth for her to put it back in the basin. Rick watched as she looked down at the sleeping form of Jon. Her eyes softened immediately and filled with tears, as she gently whispered the toddler's name affectionately. She leaned closer and kissed his forehead gently. Rick's own eyes softened at the display. After a moment, Hermione looked up and took in her surroundings. She frowned a little, after finding Harry sleeping behind her, before she looked back at him and asked in a quiet voice, "Where is Teddy?"

Rick pointed up to the bed above her and said, "He' sleeping too. Do you want to go back to sleep?"

"No, I would like to stand up."

Rick nodded and moved the sleeping boy gently away, in order to give Hermione a hand to help her up. He gently grabbed her upper arm and maneuvered her out off the bed, without risking to wake up the toddler or anyone else and as soon as she sat down, he gently put an arm around her back to help her stand up. He immediately noted that she barely reached past his shoulder in her petite form. Each of her fingers, down to her wrist, were still wrapped in those magical bindings, which made it difficult for her to hold herself to grab anything in order to support herself. After Rick made sure that she regained her footing and wasn't dizzy, he helped her out of the cell and let her sat on the chair, which had been placed next to a table with three cauldrons on it, not pots as he called them at first.

The woman glanced curiously at them, and just as she was about to say something, she began to cough, asking if she could get a glass of water. Rick quickly nodded and walked to the small kitchen set up and returned with a glass of water. She tried to reach for the glass with her bandaged hands and he could clearly that she wouldn't be able to grasp the glass with it.

"Let me," he suggested and leaned the glass of water closer to her face. Hermione looked back at him for a moment, before she leaned closer and placed her lips against the glass. He gently tipped it and let her slowly drink it, until she finished.

"Thank you," Hermione said gently.

Rick nodded in return. He felt a little awkward around the woman. It was the first time he had really talked with her and had a good look at her face. The bruises were still there, fading but there, as were the cuts on her face, leaving pink fading scars behind, but what truly caught his attention was her neck. He could clearly see the strangulation marks on them, even if they were fading.

"I must look like death warmed over, don't I?" Hermione asked, which made him realize that he had been staring at her. She tried to patten her hair, only to realize that her wild hair had been put in a bun, which had been probably Beth's work.

"Na, you still look better than those walkers out there," Rick joked lightly, to which Hermione chuckled.

"An improvement," Hermione added amused, before she looked at the table next to her with the three cauldrons. "Did Harry make them?"

Rick nodded before he added, "Yeah, someone sent a package with some very strange ingredients. Your friend made them with the help of Teddy and Carol, while a blond guy from the mirror, Malloy I think his name was and helped them cooked these things."

Hermione's lip twitched into a smile, as she said, in an amused tone, "Must have been quite interesting to see Malfoy teaching over the mirror."

Rick nodded with his own little smile. It had been something, seeing them work together, even though there had been a clear frustration at some point. Everyone else had been quite amused when Harry began to curse at the blond man only to get scolded by an elderly woman, the headmistress.

"Would you mind helping me up? I want to see the conditions of the potions," Hermione asked gently.

"Sure," Rick said and helped her up, to walk her over to the cauldrons.

She went to look at each and everyone one of them, explained to him the name, purpose and when it would be ready. A potion to heal wounds, another that could donate blood and the last one that could heal internal damages. The last one, which according to her was the more difficult potion was on the verge of reaching the next stage in about half an hour, in where the last ingredient had to be added.

Hermione offered that she could fix the last part of the potion and that he could get back to sleep, but he refused and offered to stay with her.

"Thank you," she said with a smile, as he helped her back into his seat.

"It's fine. Can't seem to settle down anyway," he admitted as he took the seat opposite her.

Hermione nodded gingerly. "Thank you for everything, but how did Harry, Teddy and Jon have find your group? And where are we?" she asked clearly confused as she looked around herself.

Rick quickly explained the situation to her, how Teddy and Jon, had shown up with Michonne, mere hours before Harry had found them and how they went together with Harry and Michonne to find the two missing people from his group and her. He went on and explained what happened after she lost consciousness, how Teddy had attacked Merle before Harry could stop him.

Hermione had a worried look on her face and looked towards the cell in where Teddy was sleeping. She met Rick's eyes, as she apologized for the teenager, "I'm sorry about Teddy. I didn't think that Merle could have drawn such a reaction from him, or that he would react this way."

"He said he saw Merle before, the day the Governor's group attacked you. Recognized him by his arm, but don't worry about it. It was strange, but also quite entertaining to see Merle like that. Carl would have had a similar reaction, whereas he would have pulled a gun."

After a moment of silence, Hermione said, "From what I can say about Merle is that he is a very complicated person. While he never hurt me, he never directly interfered whenever the Governor became angry with me and used a more hands down approach."

She paused and when Rick looked back at her with a confused look, she continued with her explanation, "Merle tried to stop him in a sneaky and subtile way, by trying to keep him away from me or busy. Telling him that he was needed here and there, that someone was looking for him. Mostly it was a woman that kept looking for him. I'm not sure who thought or if it's true, but I think, that people were wondering where he was and where he kept going, but at the end of it, the Governor found a way to make the time to interrogate me. Merle's interference became more frequent in the last few days, whereas he even stopped my escape on the first day. I don't know what changed. Maybe seeing the way the Governor beat me, while I was either tied to a chair or barely able to move. I don't know, but Merle, in all his fault, was the only one who tried to help."

Rick nodded silently at the revelation, he wasn't sure if she knew that the man even went so far to stop the other soldier from revealing about her kids to the Governor. Probably not and he didn't think that now was the right time or his place to do it. But there was still something that had kept him confused and wondering, since he found out what happened to her.

"Why didn't you just tell him? Give him what he wanted. Why let him beat you up like this? He almost killed you in the process."

"Because all would be lost if I did it?"

"What do you mean?" Rick asked confused.

Hermione took a deep breath and began to explain, "That man, this Governor, who I'm sure was some sale's person before everything turned to hell, is dangerous. Really dangerous. He is a mastermind in manipulating and would do anything to gain more power. He let a group of men ambush us, a group of armed soldiers. They killed these man in cold blood and without any reason, other than keeping his power. For him, killing is not about surviving, it's about power and pleasure. It is just a means to get what he wants and he likes it."

Hermione paused for a moment and took a deep breath. Rick sat silent and watched the woman before him. He knew she wasn't done with her tale and gave her space to do so.

A moment later, she continued with a same somber voice, "At first I didn't want to tell him anything, but then he told me about Lieutenant Welles. He was from the national guard, who was in charge to get us to Washington, where Walter and I should have recreated the serum. We would have mass reproduced the serum, the soldiers would spread it out to get back order and control over the cities and states, other countries and nations. Rebuilding our world."

Hermione closed her eyes, collecting herself, until she continued, "Welles went with two others, took a helicopter he found a few days ago, to see which way was safe for us to travel, but he hadn't returned and that's how this Governor found us. He told them where to find our group, probably believing that they would help us.

"I thought that he was dead, when they took me, until the Governor told me that he was still alive and was given medical treatment. He threatened to hurt and kill him to get the answers, if I didn't tell him why I was with them. So I told him about the mission, the reason why we traveled and about the damage in our DNA." She paused for a moment and asked, "Did Harry tell you about it?"

"Yeah, he did as much as he could."

Hermione nodded slowly, before she continued, "After finding out a little about the serum, he wanted me to produce the serum at this place, but I refused. I knew that if I gave him what he wanted he would not only gain power with it, he would misuse it, abuse it. Can you imagine what kind of power that could give someone like him? What he would do with it?"

"He would select the people and use it to gain more power," Rick concluded, remembering the things Merle had said about the Governor on their way to the prison.

"Yes and no," Hermione answered and before he could ask what she meant, she continued, "It was my first assessment too. That he would want to give the serum only to selected few people, and probably use it to do even more horrible things. But I found out later that he wanted the vaccine for his undead daughter. I think he kept her close by, somewhere in the building. Anyway, when I explained that the serum wouldn't work on those who had been infected or turned, he got angry and well, I got this."

Hermione held her left arm up and showed him the fading bite wound on her wrist.

"He is sick. A sadist, sociopath with a superiority complex. A monster, who's getting out of control and I don't think anyone will be safe from him, not even those in the town he stays soon. He enjoyed what he did to me. Sometimes he got carried away, until Merle or Mamet, a researcher who plays scientist at Woodbury, stopped him by reminding him either directly or with other things. That's why I refused to make the serum or give him the formula. I was pretty sure that he would have killed me afterwards. I only had a few possibilities, escape, which I did try twice, before he broke my fingers and made the first option null and void, or for Harry to find me. To be honest with you… I didn't think I would ever see them again," she confessed, her voice tightening at the end.

"I don't think anyone could have endured what you did."

"Trust me, if you have something worth protecting, the lives of your family, friends, the whole bloody world, you can endure."

Both stood silent for a moment, until Hermione looked at the cauldrons and asked if he could add the grey powder into it and stir it anti-clockwise seven times. It was a strange order, but did as he was told. Afterwards she told him to reduce the flame, to let the potion simmer for another six hours, until it got a deep violet coloring that also had a red shimmer to it.

They took back their seats and he noticed that the woman before him looked at him intently.

"Do I have something on my face?" Rick asked confused.

"I'm sorry, it's just. I feel like I've seen you before, but I can't recall where from."

Rick nodded and clued her in, "Your friend, Harry mentioned that you both saw us when we were in Atlanta."

Her brown eyes widened in recognition and disbelieve, as she said, "You are the Sheriff, from the CDC facility."

Rick nodded in confirmation. Hermione smiled at him and said, "I'm relieved that you and the others got out. I'm sorry about your friend, who stayed behind… and about what Jenner did. He lost hope, believing that he was alone."

"Harry explained the incident at the CDC and Jenner's part in it, and what you guys tried to do."

Hermione nodded silently and after a moment asked tentatively, "Did everyone make it? Your group from the CDC."

Rick clenched his teeth as his emotions, the constant grief he felt for the pain and loss they went through. He shook his head and said, "No. We've lost several people since then. Friends," his thoughts drifted to Sophia, Dale, T-Dog and even Shane. Someone he believed he could always rely on, who would have had always his back. "My wife," he added more quietly as he looked at his wedding ring on his left hand.

He heard her sharp intake of breath. It was strange feeling he had as he looked starred at his wedding ring. Something between remorse, love and acceptance. He knew his marriage hadn't been the best, even before everything turned upside down and he was sure that, if the dead hadn't begun to walk that they would have been probably divorced by now. The only thing that had mattered to both of them was Carl. A part of him had hoped that maybe things could get back to the way it used to be. That he had time to fix things between them, but the more time passed the more he pushed it away. Had pushed her away. His mind would always go back to Lori _and_ Shane, them together and the possibility of Shane being the father of Judith. He felt as if a part of him, the part that had been in love with Lori was just gone. He tried to build it back together, make himself love her the way he used to, but it was gone, once he had looked at her. Remembering of the things that happened between them. Lori _and _Shane.

And yet a part of him had still loved Lori, even when he wasn't in love with her anymore. They had been happy at some point.

"I'm sorry about your loss, Rick," Hermione spoke earnestly.

He looked up at the bruised up woman on the chair in front of him and met her warm brown eyes. Even in the barely lit room, he could see her clearly.

Rick nodded silently, before he continued, "No one is safe nowadays."

"Unfortunately, that's true," she agreed with a crestfallen expression on her face, as she had a faraway look, staring into the direction of the cell room where her people were resting.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps closing coming from that direction, before they saw a worried looking Harry appear, with his wand out. He sighed in relief when he saw her and rushed quickly to her.

"Hermione! Are you ok? Why weren't you in bed? I just had a panic and heart attack finding only Jon in the bed!"

Hermione glanced with an amused smile at Rick before she tried to calm her friend down. Rick watched the two of them closely, and noticed the close bond they had, which reminded him of close friends, siblings. Harry insisted on casting this diagnostic spell on her and with a tired sigh from her, she relented and let him do it. She sat silently, not moving an inch as he cast the spell on each area of her body, which cast differed hues of coloring and for some reason they could read the lights and what they were saying.

"Thank Merlin!" Harry exclaimed and sighed in relief.

At Rick's confused look, Hermione explained, "My vitals are stable and everything looks fine."

"Bur you still need rest, Mione," Harry scolded at her, who in return simply rolled her eyes at him.

"Mione?" Rick unknowingly spoke out loud at the nickname. He had heard of Teddy refer to her as Aunt Mione, but other than that she was called Hermione.

Harry looked between Rick and Hermione, before he sheepishly said, "Back at school, when… another friend and I got in trouble with her," here he pointed at Hermione who in return rolled her eyes at Harry. "We somehow shorted her name. Drove her batty at first, but we figured out how to calm her down whenever we forgot to do our homework in time or needed help with it. Just called her 'Mione', made big puppy eyes and begged her and it always worked," Harry grinned at her. Rick couldn't help but chuckle at the things he said, especially seeing Hermione's glare directed at the British man.

"Honestly, be glad that I can't hit you right now, Potter," Hermione scolded playfully, but Harry's expression fell at her words.

"If it meant your hands not being injured, I wouldn't mind it."

Hermione's face softened at Harry's words. "I'm alright, Harry."

"No, you are not. You still need to rest and I need to- bloody hell! The potion!"

"Rick and I added the last ingredient to it. Well, Rick did it, I just taught him."

Harry looked at Rick and thanked him with a tired smile before he went to help Hermione up, who swayed for a moment. He helped her back up, and just as they passed them, Hermione looked Rick in the eyes and said, "Thank you for everything, Rick."

Rick nodded in acknowledgment as he watched the two of them disappear into the cell. He slowly followed to see if they needed help.

He helped her back up and slowly walked back into their cell room. He could see the teenager and toddler still sleeping in their beds. Harry slowly removed his arm from Hermione to move Jon a little away, after she had insisted that Jon stay in her bed. The toddler seemed to have wandered in the middle of the bed, lying on his belly while his arms and legs were spread out.

But then suddenly, Hermione swayed again on her feet. Rick quickly crossed the distance and held her on the shoulder to steady her. Harry's eyes had widened in worry at the display. He quickly moved Jon to the far side of the bed. Rick helped Hermione sit on the empty bed, before Harry took over and helped her to lie down next to Jon. Hermione moved her arm closer to the sleeping toddler and soon was out like a light.

He watched as Harry quickly cast another Diagnostic Spell over her and explained to Rick that she was just tired, but he still dipped the cloth back into the basin with the magical healing stuff, before he placed it gently on her forehead.

He looked back at Rick and simply said, "Just to be safe."

Rick nodded and said, before he left said, "If you need anything, just call me."

Harry thanked him, before he left them alone. Rick slowly went back to his own bed and closed his eyes, trying to find some rest and push himself not to think, but it wasn't working and his mind drifted towards a certain kind brown eyed woman.

* * *

A/N: Let me know what you think and I hope you liked it :)

The next post will be up after two weeks, wish me luck with my planned writing marathon :)

Hope you all have a good day :)


	18. Chapter 17 - Hunting Ground

A/N: You people are just amazing! Wish I could hug everyone! Thank you so much for all nice reviews you keep writing and also thank you all so sooo much for putting this story on your favorite list and/or following it. You all are just amazing!

Also a big thank you to uoduck who keeps finding the time to beta read this story. Thank you so much.

There is also one other thing… I've been informed by a guest reviewer that I kept writing Status of Secrecy instead of Statute of Secrecy. I'm really sorry about that. I feel so embarrassed about it, because I didn't noticed it at all and I didn't even know how on earth I could have missed that. However, I've edited all the chapters and replaced them here (a while back). Hopefully, something like that won't happen again… I know how annoying it can be to stumble upon mistakes during reading a story. Again, I'm really sorry about it.

Some of you might have noticed that I usually post on Thursdays and since we have Christmas soon, I thought I would post the chapter a little earlier and give people the chance to read and keep up without getting stressed. So, in some way, this is my Christmas gift for you.

Hope you like it :)

* * *

**Chapter 17 - Hunting Ground **

* * *

**21****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

It had been a slow and quiet morning so far. The moment Hermione woke up, Teddy and Jon rushed into her arms, hugging her tightly. The teenager was unable to hold his own tears back by then and seeing Teddy cry, made Jon join him as well. It took Hermione a while to calm him down, assuring him that he didn't do anything wrong, when he began to apologize for not helping her. After things calmed down, Harry sent Teddy with Jon out to get themselves something to eat, just as Carol and Beth began to prepare the breakfast for the group.

Harry made a mirror call to the mediwitch at Hogwarts, as soon as the kids left. He had promised to call her in the morning, and right now it was around noon at Hogwarts.

The call went as expected. The Headmistress immediately got Madame Pomfrey on the line, who began to examine Hermione with Harry's help. Everything looked fine and mostly healed. The internal damage had been fully repaired, but she would still need to take the potions that the mediwitch had recommended to her and much to Harry's amusement, Hermione corrected her own prescription. Her broken bones were all set right and began to heal nicely. She demonstrated to Madame Pomfrey the mobility of her fingers and hands, by wriggling them and moving to make fists. Even though she couldn't do the said movements properly, she was still able to use her hands somehow. The mediwitch believed that Hermione would have a full recovery of her hands in the next few days.

Without the usual standard treatment for a broken bone, which required certain potions, the healing would be prolonged for a few days more. Unfortunately, any prepared potions couldn't be sent magically. Even with the added protection on the bottles or boxes, the magical transportation still influenced and tempered with any prepared content, like potions or food. Sending any prepared potions did not only make them useless, it could even make them dangerous and unstable. Only ingredients that could be prepared, conserved or were dried could be safely delivered via the new improved Magical Transportation. Any prepared potions or even fresh ingredients would become spoiled or tainted.

After the medical treatment, the Headmistress told Harry and Hermione that Kingsley wanted to talk to them about their current situation. McGonagall went back to her office and pulled out another mirror. Thankfully, many of the adults were still either in class teaching or staying in the corridors to give extra protection and watch. The added security had been placed, since the incident of last Halloween, which had cost the life of a student and almost ended in a disaster.

"Ms Granger, Mr Potter, it is so good to see you again," the Minister of Magic greeted them with a smile, as soon as he saw them from the other mirror. After a short greeting the Minister began to ask them about their situation and the attack, which lead to Hermione's kidnapping and torture. It took Hermione and Harry almost half an hour to explain the whole incident. Even though McGonagall had known roughly about Hermione's ordeal, the usual composed and stern Headmistress still looked quite pale and upset hearing Hermione's side of the story.

"I am glad that you are safe, Ms Granger and under these circumstances I can see why you have inclined and broke the Statute of Secrecy, Mr Potter," the Minister assessed the situation quite solemnly, while trying to keep the anger out of his voice. "We are in very dark times, probably the most dangerous since the history of mankind. I am glad that you have found trustworthy muggles and a safe place to stay. But I have to ask, Mr Potter, Ms Granger, how do you plan to travel to Washington now?"

"In a few days, I will contact the Military Base in Louisiana, request a team to secure us and get us to Washington. Hopefully, we won't come across any more danger," Harry said. He still had the satellite phone that Ford had given him and decided to call him in a few days, in order not to raise any suspicion on how he had so quickly found his children and Hermione, let alone arrive in Georgia, whereas it took the military troop almost a week to reach the central part of Georgia and they had been armed, had transportations and added protection in man power. Harry on the other hand, was alone and left the military base with only a backpack and a duffel-bag full of guns. The delay would also give Hermione time to heal, help this group and handle this Governor bastard.

They talked a little more, before they ended the mirror calls. Both were silent, until Harry finally asked the question that had been nagging at him, since Merle had informed them of the things Hermione had endured from this crazy muggle, "Why didn't you fight, Hermione? Used your magic to get away? I would have found you anyway, due to the tracking spell on your wand-holster."

Hermione was silent and didn't look at him, as Harry continued, getting more upset for his best friend, "You could have blindsided them with your magic, confused them, made your self invisible, Hermione. You could have fought your way out, before they captured you and broke almost all your fingers and your wand. You could have killed them and-"

"I couldn't Harry!" Hermione cut in emotionally. "I couldn't! I was alone, Harry. I had to think of my children, our children. Jon was too small to apparate and even if we could have used a magical transportation, where should I have gone? Nowhere is safe! The undead are everywhere! We… lost Ron this way and I won't risk their lives to do something like that."

Harry's throat tightened the moment she mentioned Ron. His mind recalled the last moments of his friend, how he had saved him and what he was forced to do after he died.

"I couldn't risk it," Hermione continued. "I made the decision to let them get away, placed several protection spells on them, while I provided the distraction for their escape. I couldn't use magic against the muggles. How could I? I didn't know how many had surrounded us or where they could have been. They killed everyone within minutes, Harry! Nineteen soldiers and Walter were massacred right there around us, while I held both Jon and Teddy in my arms and cast the strongest shield charm around us and prayed that those bullets didn't get through."

Hermione took a shuddering breath, before she continued, "If I had used any form of magic against them, they would have immediately begun to shoot at me and I just couldn't break the Statute of Secrecy and-"

"Screw the bloody Statute of Secrecy, Hermione! If it means getting away, then you should have blood well done it!" Harry countered angrily.

"How?" Hermione asked angrily. "I would have brought all the danger to our people. I didn't know who they were, how many or what they were capable of. And even if I did use magic as you said, did you consider how I should have fought against them? Last time I checked, spells are still not faster than bullets. How could I have held up any protection spells around myself, while fight against an unknown number of assailants, without risking to get killed, or worse, getting Teddy and Jon into the crossfire?"

Hermione took a deep breath, as Harry let her words sink in, before she continued more calmly, "I had to take the risk, Harry. If it meant saving Teddy and Jon, until you would find them, I had to try. I knew you would find them, that's why I gave him my magical handbag. Inside were my journals on how to recreate the serum. If something had happened to me, I knew you would have found a way to get these journals to Washington… with or without me.

"I needed to give them the chance to get away. Teddy ran with Jon through the field, while I distracted our attackers by running in plain sight. I planned to apparate towards Teddy, after he reached the edge of the field. I took off towards the high grassed fields and wanted to apparate behind the trees, but they got me before I could do it and knocked me out," and after a moment of pause, she added gently, "I'm not an Auror, Harry… I am not you."

She looked back at him, while her eyes slowly filled with tears, "I… I didn't know what to do. Everything went so fast. All I could think about was getting Teddy and Jon out, without them being discovered or hurt."

Harry closed the small distance between them and sat next to her. He gently pulled her into his arms and let her cry, consoling her gently. He noticed Rick standing near the door and watching the two of them, but otherwise remained silent and as Harry looked further out, noticed that several others were also listening to the two of them.

Harry's mind was reeling, as he let Hermione's perspective of the situation sink in. It was only just now that he was aware of how protected and isolated Hermione had been, since she had arrived at Fort Polk. Most of the time Hermione had been in the lab, working on a cure, far away from the true danger behind the protective walls, but not ignorant of the truth. She knew of the situation outside the base and that of the wizarding world, but knowing and facing them were two different things. She hadn't seen the things he had, done the things he did to protect those he loved and cared about. He killed the living and undead whenever they posed a threat, which he had chosen not to reveal to Hermione or his son. Only Kingsley and the two wizards at the base were aware of it. Harry didn't want to reveal Hermione and especially not Teddy how cruel and gruesome the world had turned into.

And as Hermione had just stated, she wasn't an Auror to be trained and fight against anyone who posed a threat, but he also knew that she wasn't weak or untalented in the magical area. The war had been proof of that, but that had been over a decade ago and from what Harry was aware of, the last time she actually fought against someone. He still remembered how it had affected Hermione knowing that her spells and curses were the results of the demise of the Death Eaters in the battle. Even though their death had been accidental, the guild and nightmares of that fateful day had followed her for months.

Harry looked back at his friend, after she calmed down, and gently wiped her tears away when he noticed that she didn't succeed with the bandaged hands. A moment later he asked, "What happened then, Hermione? Why didn't you defend yourself afterwards? Merle told us that you tried to escape twice, but why didn't you fight them? I know you are strong and skilled, Hermione."

Hermione's eyes widened at the information of Merle and asked worriedly, "He told you this? What else did he tell you?"

"Everything he knew… just tell me Hermione. I need to hear it from you. What happened then?"

It took Hermione a moment, before she explained, a little shaken, "I woke up tied to a chair, disoriented and confused. Thinking back now, I believe I had a head concussion due to the blunt force trauma to my head, when they kidnapped me. I could free myself with wandless magic, took my belongings, my wand, attacked two muggle guards with the _Stupify_ spell, before they could see me and I took off… Apparating would have been too dangerous and I wouldn't even know where to go. I just wanted to get away and find Teddy and Jon. I couldn't think clearly and I just wanted to find a way out, but then Merle found me."

"WHAT?" Harry shouted in shock and was about to stand up, when Hermione placed her bandaged hands into his, preventing him from going. Harry recalled now how he hadn't said who took her the first time and how he had brushed that even off swiftly.

His anger must have shown on his face, as Hermione said calmly, "It's ok, Harry. Merle didn't help me at first of course. It changed shortly after though."

Harry nodded, clenching his teeth in anger, while Hermione continued, "When I had the chance to get away a second time, I was… weakened and more injured. I barely had any strength left to cast magic at all, even my Stunning Spells became less effective… I tried to sneak out and avoid as many of the Governor's followers as I could, while looking for Lieutenant Welles. I couldn't leave him behind… but they captured me when I reached the outside door and dragged me back to the attic. As a consequence of being able to escape a second time, the Governor broke my wand and my fingers… and I think you know the rest."

Harry simply nodded at Hermione's words and tried to push away the image of Hermione tied to a chair, beat, bruised and barely alive. It was a sight he never wanted to see again. He blamed himself for not being there to help and would never forgive himself for not going after Hermione, Teddy and Jon. If he had been there, he would have made sure that no one hurt his family and he would make sure that this Governor would get what's coming to him. He would have his revenge on that man, no matter who stood in his way. But right now, his best friend needed him.

After a moment, Harry stood up and said to Hermione, "I have something for you." He grabbed backpack next to the bed and put his whole arm into it.

"Before I left Hogwarts, Ollivander gave me this," Harry said and pulled out a wand, "A spare wand. He said it had the same properties as your first one. I didn't know if you would need it, since your old one was still working and kept it in my backpack, just in case."

Hermione's eyes widened and gently grabbed the new wand loosely. Even with the bandages in her hand, the wand reacted and gave off a warm glow, which made Hermione smile brightly.

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said happily and wrapped her arms slowly around him. Harry returned the hug, until she broke it off gently.

"I don't know how Ollivander does it, knowing things about the wand and their owner," Hermione stated astonishingly, as she moved and tried to lift her left long-sleeved shirt up.

Harry gently took over, lifted the material up for her, which showed her bare arm that bore a rectangular faint scar. A remnant due to the removable of Bellatrix cursed blade carvings. It had been a painful procedure, which took weeks to repair the damage. Harry pushed those thoughts away, as he watched Hermione tip her wand against her arm and revealed her once invisible wand-holster, before she placed her new wand into the slot and rightful place. It was a good sign, that her magic worked properly with the new wand, since the safety spell on the wand-holster could only read the owner's magical signature.

The magical leather strap had been on her even after they brought her back. Luckily, there hadn't been any injuries beneath the wand-holster, which would have made healing her much more difficult. Since they brought their dark leather colored wand-holster, that had the added safety and protection spells on it, he, Ron, Hermione and even Teddy, almost never took it off their forearms. A habit, which had become an integral part of their daily life and now was even more important. Placing a permanent tracking spell on the said object had been Ron's idea and at first they did the spell on the three of them, making it able for each one of them to find the other if it was needed. Harry remembered the countless times he had used the tracking spell, before the dead began to rise, during his Auror missions or by simply tracking one of his best friends down. Later, when Teddy got his first wand at Ollivander's, it was quickly decided that Teddy would get a wand-holster with the same features as the ones they had.

Harry couldn't be more grateful for Ron's persistent and calculated thinking of the safety measure, probably due from the remnant of his paranoia, caused by the war.

"Maybe he has a seer in his family," Harry suggested, after he pushed the memories of Ron away and forced a little smiled at Hermione, as he added, "Probably even better than Trewlaney."

Hermione shook her head in amusement. "Can't believe that fraud is still teaching at Hogwarts."

Suddenly, they heard a familiar voice calling happily, "Mama!" outside the cell room. Hermione's smile instantly brightened even further, as she looked at the door and watched the toddler rushing towards her with open arms. Rick smiled down at the child and gave him some space to walk past him.

"There is my baby… come here sweetling," Hermione coaxed the Jon towards her, with bright smile and open arms. It was the only encouragement the toddler needed to rush to her. Harry helped Jon into Hermione's lap, when it was apparent that she couldn't pick him up safely. Jon immediately described in simple words and barely made sentences to Hermione what he had for breakfast and Teddy's hair-color-changing games. Harry slowly walked out and let the two of the bond.

Harry knew that their lives wouldn't be the same again, but they would find a way to make it work.

He would make sure of it.

* * *

**21****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

After a small breakfast, Harry went out with Rick to meet up with Daryl and see the safety measures around the prison. Hermione stayed behind with the small group. With the help of Teddy and Carl, Hermione bottled up the potions into several dozens of empty vials. At least they had a new supply of Essence of Dittany, Blood Replenishment and the more complicated Viscera Potion, which Harry had prepared with the help of Beth, Carol and Teddy. Unfortunately, the latter of the potions couldn't be given to muggles, due to the lack of magic that is needed to make the potion work.

Carl, Hermione noted, stood near Teddy and watched everything, with keen eyes, while he kept asking Teddy about the potions and plants they used. Teddy answered as much as he possible, before he relied back on Hermione to answer for him. Hermione explained patiently about the magical plants, the reaction it creates due to a well prepared ingredients and how it could change the potion if it was done wrong. Teddy told him about his own potion classes in Hogwarts and what they do there, or the funny accidents that had occurred during his two years stay at Hogwarts. Carl and everyone else who listened were equally mesmerized as Carl and slowly began to ask their own questions, about Hogwarts, potions or magical plants.

Things were quiet, until Rick showed up at the prison block door and calmly called for Carl, even though his posture was anything but calm.

The teenager went towards his father, after he assured Hermione and Teddy that he would be back and wanted to hear more Teddy's tales. Hermione smiled at Carl as he rushed towards his father, still wearing the sheriff hat wherever he went, which was a little too big for him. When Hermione had asked about the hat, she was a quite shocked to hear the circumstances behind the gift. It still astonished Hermione to think that this little boy had not only survived a dangerous shot wound to his chest, but made a full recovery. It must have been sheer luck in Carl's case, which she was glad for. In the short time she had known the boy, she had come to like the smart and brave boy, and from she had observed between Carl and Teddy, they clearly enjoyed each others company.

Hermione glanced at the entrance of the prison cell block and saw Michonne join the group. She said something to Harry, who stood almost like a guard in front of the entrance, which made it unable for Hermione to see what was happening.

"I'll see what's going on, Aunt Mione," Teddy said quickly and left towards Harry, before Hermione could say anything.

She was aware of what the meeting was about. Harry had told her beforehand that they would discuss the security and safety of the prison and what they would do about the Governor. Calling Teddy back now and trying to stop him from getting involved, was like trying to tell Harry not to partake in the security, which wouldn't work and would be quite impossible. Teddy reminded Hermione of a mix of Harry, Ron and herself, which wasn't always a good thing.

Hermione hadn't met the new people, who were still unaware of magic, yet. Even though they had revealed their magic to the majority of the muggles in the prison, Harry thought that it was for the best to keep it secret for now and not reveal it, as long as it isn't absolutely necessary, which Hermione agreed to.

Hershel and Maggie also joined the group outside, leaving Hermione with Beth, Jon and Judith, the newborn baby of the group, behind. The gentle girl reminded Hermione of Luna. The calm and even quite mysterious air of her could actually make the two of them appear to be siblings, besides the odd physical resemblance. A sudden deep longing to her friend came upon her. It had been weeks since she had last talked to Luna and Neville. Both had decided to finally get married just a month ago. With the magical mirror, they had been able to watch the wedding ceremony, which had been a beautiful event, but it also made them miss their friends and home even more.

"Do you think they will attack us?" Beth's voice cut through her trail of thoughts, while they had silently began to clean out the potions bench.

When Hermione looked back at Beth, the young woman continued not able to hide the fear in her voice, "Maybe they scared him off."

Hermione wished that this was the case, but having been with them and seen what they were capable of, she highly doubted it.

"I wish that was the case. This Governor is dangerous, twisted and power hungry. He hurts and kills anyone in his way and to get what he wants, without remorse or regret… I am positive, the attack in Woodbury and getting us out of there, will make him retaliate," Hermione answered truthfully to Beth, not sugar coating the truth or making it appear less dangerous. The question was only when the Governor would attack, which Hermione left unsaid.

She could see the anxiety in Beth's eyes, before the blond woman steeled herself.

"I'm sure we will work it out," assured Beth after a moment. "We always do."

Hermione nodded at her, before they saw Jon rushing towards them looking excited with his wide bright blue eyes, "Mama! Baby up! Baby up!" Popping the 'p' at the end of his sentence.

Hermione and Beth smiled at the toddler, just as Beth asked him to come with her and if he wanted to help feed Judith. She watched them with a smile, as Beth took Jon's hand and walked back to Judith.

An uneasy feeling came upon her at the looming danger that threatened the safety of everyone.

* * *

**21****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Teddy**

Everyone was standing around Carl and the huge man, Tyreese, and watched as the two of them began to draw the direction Carl took in the prison to find Tyreese's group. The huge man added the missing parts and explained the damaged gate from outside the prison. The group theorized how the damage could have happened and the threat it could mean for the people inside.

Teddy watched as his dad went to Rick and leaned closer to whisper something to his ear, to which Rick nodded in return. Rick called Daryl towards them, who seemed to carry his crossbow wherever he went.

All three began to talk in hushed tone, until Rick turned towards the group and said, "Daryl and Harry will go and check out the area from where Tyreese's group came from and secure the breach, making sure no walkers come towards us."

"I could give them a hand as well," Oscar offered.

"No, I need you elsewhere," Rick said and turned towards the group before he continued. "Our priority right now is the front side of the prison. It's unsecure and open for any attacks. Glenn, you will go with Oscar, Tyreese and his sister and secure the prison yard around the first gate. Build up a wall with anything you can find that can protect us. I trust you know what to do," Rick said looking at Glenn, who looked somehow annoyed, but nodded anyway.

"I will go with Michonne and check out the center of the prison fences, and see if there are some weak spots or blind sides. Harry, Daryl after you both are done, come and find me. We will see what to do next about the safety and security around here. Afterwards, we need to talk to Merle and find out how heavy this Governor is armed, how he operates, thinks, his weakness," Rick continued, until Glenn broke in.

"What we need to do is go back there and kill the Governor. He won't expect it. We'll sneak back in and put a bullet in his head," Glenn said, sounding a little crazy to Teddy. It didn't help that the Asian boy looked still pretty beaten up. He had heard yesterday, as Glenn had refused to take the Dittany Essence to heal his wounds, which Teddy couldn't understand the slightest.

"We're not assassins," Carol cut in.

"But Harry is. He is some sort of MI5 agent, he knows how to kill," Glenn argued back.

Teddy's eyes widened at Glenn's words about his dad. He knew his dad was an Auror and had a muggle agent status, who fought against evil wizards and witches. He knew that since the undead thing happened, his dad had fought more, killing the undead and deep down he figured that he had also killed the living, dangerous people. But it was another thing to hear about it and confirming his suspicious. It was a sobering thought and he didn't quite know how to feel about it.

"Glenn," Rick spoke in a calm tone, but Glenn continued as if he didn't hear it, "I've seen what you can do, with your ability." Glenn looked intently at Teddy's dad and then to ninja lady. "You both know where his apartment is. We could end this tonight."

Ninja lady only sighed, looked away from Glenn and glanced towards Harry, while the Asian boy continued still looking between them, "I'll do it myself. Just get me there."

Glenn sounded more and more a little mad with his revenge plan, in Teddy's opinion. Harry, on the other hand, began to look really annoyed, just like Rick, but Glenn still continued, "You said earlier that you didn't needed us to get your friend out, that you could simply go there and no one will be able to see us or know that we are there. Don't you want to make them pay for what they did to her. Tied to a chair, beaten up, chewed at, assaul-"

"That's enough, Glenn!" Rick shouted stopping Glenn from continuing.

Teddy blanched at the reminder of his aunt's torture. It was hard enough to hear it the first time and it had taken a lot of control not to let his anger get the better of him. He remembered his first year at Hogwarts, when an older student came asking about his aunt's torture and a 'Mudblood' scar, he had never seen on her forearm. Teddy had been confused and horrified about the information and didn't want to believe it. Especially, since there was not any carving on his aunt's arm, just a long rectangular shaped scar. But his curiosity had gotten the better of him and in the end, researched about his aunt and the war and what he had found had made him so angry. He had barely any control left as he lashed out at anyone who crossed his path, especially the Slytherins. After three days of his attitude, the Headmistress had called his godparents, Uncle Ron had joined as well and that's when Teddy revealed the reason behind his anger, especially when no one told him about it. It had been a long day and Aunt Mione explained what had happened that day, the scar on her left forearm and the way it had been removed.

"No, Rick," Glenn argued getting everyone attention. Teddy looked up and noticed the hard stares and frowns Glenn received from the other people directed, who seemed totally oblivious to them, as he continued, "We need to act now! If we don't stop him he will-"

"I said that's enough, Glenn!" Rick shouted and glared at Glenn. "I know you are angry for what he did, we all are, but this is not the time for this. Our safety is what matters and the priority at the moment. We need to secure our place, make it tight and strong for any attack and then we will make a plan to end this. But not sooner. Got that?"

Glenn glared back at him and it looked like he was about to argue, but in the end he nodded angrily.

Rick took a second before he continued by addressing the other, "Carol, Axel, Carl and Teddy you go and secure the bridges. Barricade the fences with table plates or anything else you can find."

"Maybe we should leave," the older man with the white beard and hair suddenly said, "If he's really on his way, we should be out of here by now. We lived on the road all winter, I'm sure we can make it too. Find another place, maybe head to Washington."

"No, Hershel, we won't leave. We have children with us and injured people and even if we hadn't, I won't give up this place," Rick spoke with determination. "We won't run. We'll stay put. We're gonna defend this place. Fight and kill anyone who tries to harm us. We're making a stand."

After a moment, Hershel nodded at Rick's words.

"You still can leave," Rick said to Tyreese. "As I said before, this isn't your fight. You don't have to get involved. This is your last chance."

"We will stay," said the large man. "Someone like that is dangerous. If he didn't harm you, who says we wouldn't stumble upon him and be the next target? No, we will stay and fight."

Rick nodded at him, before he told everyone to get to their tasks.

Teddy quickly asked his dad, before he could leave, "Can I use my magic to help with our task?"

"Only if you don't let Tyreese's group see you," his dad whispered back. "I want you to be careful, Teddy, if you see or hear anything that shouldn't be there, go to Rick, Michonne or to your aunt, if you don't see me, all right? I want you to stay safe and be careful."

"I will and you too, dad," Teddy said and with a quick hug to his dad, he left with Carl, Axel and Carol.

* * *

**21****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

Daryl and Harry built up a system as they went through the tombs inside the prison. On each new corridor, Harry would cast the _Vivera Mortis Revelio_, which revealed the number of undead in the corridor with red lights above each one of them. Even though the created light of the spell drew undead like moths to light, it gave them both a more accurate way to kill them. Daryl used his knife and crossbow, while Harry placed a cutting spell over their head, ending their existence as quickly as possible.

They went from corridor to corridor, following the drawn up map and killing countless undead on their way. Afterwards, Harry moved the unmoving bodies with a quick spell to the side and out of their way. He didn't know how long they were going through the tomb, when they finally reached the door that Tyreese had described to them earlier.

"You wanna secure?" Daryl asked Harry pointing at the door.

"Sure," he said and held up his wand, ready to blast anyone or thing that was behind it.

"You ready?" the man asked to which Harry nodded and Daryl slowly opened. Sun light shone through the small opening and Harry motioned for Daryl that it was safe to open it. Harry cast a few cutting spells on the looming undead, before he looked back at Daryl, who cursed heavily.

"Well, this doesn't look too bad," Harry mentioned, while he observed from the half torn building he was standing, towards the damaged bricks and fence, which had a few undead already try to get in.

"You're serious?" Daryl asked perplexed, "Just gonna swing that stick and get that shit fixed, or what?"

Harry's lip switched a little at his words. "Something like that. I can fix the fence outside, but I need to get closer. The bricks can be mostly repaired as well, don't think that they will be a problem. The damaged building on the other hand… there, I will need to consult with a friend of mine. He knows how to repair those things properly."

When Daryl didn't say anything, Harry looked back at the man and saw that he was being watched with a disbelieving expression already.

"You ain't pulling some shit on us, are ya?"

"Why would I lie? Come on, let's fix the fence first and then we can figure what to do with the bricks," Harry said not able to hide his amusement and walked forwards, killing another undead in his way.

* * *

**21****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Teddy**

Carol and Axel carried the wood plates, while Teddy had offered and then levitated the heavy metal plates, which they got from the yard and placed them on the fence. They positioned the metal place first followed by a wood plate afterwards. It should reinforce and protect those who were here, if they were really getting attacked. The people who were up here will be able to duck and fire.

Carl and Axel kept asking about what kind of spells there were and what else he could do with magic. He explained as best as he could.

"What about killin'? Is there a spell for tha'?" Axel asked as he placed another wood plate against the metal one.

Teddy gulped before he answered, "There is a spell that can kill someone. It's one of the three Unforgivable's and a very dark magic. The darkest of them, I think. I didn't have it yet covered in class, but from what my dad told me, those spells, the Unforgivable's, change someone… it affects the soul and magic… Anyway, casting it isn't easy. You really have to want to kill someone and many do it by hating the person, which is the first step to make someone a dark witch or wizard, according to my dad. They do use this spell in the medical field also, when… when someone is dying painfully and the healers can't do anything to help anymore and after the approval of other healers. Only certain healers can really do it, without turning dark or being affected… changed by that spell."

"What do you mean by dark?" Carl asked.

"Magic doesn't work with just saying the spell words and wand waving. The strength and success of it is caused by the casters emotions and intent. For example, when a healer cast the killing curse on a dying patient, the healer wants to end his suffering, but a dark wizard or witch, who want to simply kill someone will have to feel… anger, hate, or something like that to be able cast the killing curse and this turns someone dark… evil, if you want to call it. Anyway, if someone casts one of those Unforgivable curses, they get a one way ticket to Azkaban."

At their frowns, Teddy quickly explained, "It's a magical prison. Well, I don't know what happens to anyone who uses those spells now, I reckon… they will probably end up in prison somehow."

"Well, good thing ya're already in prison, fella. Can't get worser than tha'," Axel joked and carried another wood plate. Teddy and Carl snorted at his words.

"I gotta tell ya, I'm glad that ya don't know those bad magic. Don't need evil mojo on top of guns to scare the bejesus out of me," Axel admitted and looked sheepishly at everyone, after he was done. "Still hope nothin' happens."

Carl frowned at the blond man as he asked, "Then why did you end up in prison? Drugs?"

Axel shook his head vehemently, "No, no, nothin' like that, well, not really anyway. I… robbed a gas station with a toy gun. Never even took it out of my pocket."

"You said Oscar was the thief. That you were here for pharmaceuticals," Carol spoke up as she leaned against the cell door.

"Well, I didn't want y'all to think I was a violent man. If you follow me."

"So, they busted you here in because of a toy gun?" Carl asked disbelievingly.

"No, listen to this," Axel continued, as they made they were downstairs to the yard, after finishing up the bridge. "The next day the cops found me at my brother's house. Still had the water pistol in my pocket. I swore up and down that that was the only weapon I had, but they said they didn't believe anyone could be so stupid and get away with it. So they turned my brother's house upside down and found his .38. Said it 'matched the description,'" he said and made finger quoting gesture to his last words.

"There you go. Armed robbery," he said, smiling sheepishly.

Carl snorted at the story, while Teddy and Carol laughed at the story. Muggles were so strange sometimes, but he guessed the magical world wasn't perfect either. Especially, when he recalled the wrongful imprisonment of his dad's godfather, who was also one of the best friends of his biological father.

"To tell you the truth," Axel continued as they walked across the yard. "I don't even know how to use this damn thing." He showed Carol the gun he had been given. Teddy didn't know it either and bit down his lip in, while he watched Carol attentively as she quickly explained how a gun worked.

He had been curious about muggle guns since he had seen his dad's weapon, but couldn't convince his dad to teach him on how to use it.

Carl who stood next to him calmly and only for Teddy to hear, "You don't know how to use a gun either, do you?"

Teddy shook his head and admitted, "I lived at the base the whole time and before that my dad would make sure that I was safe. He trained me in more advanced spell casting and how to defend myself with my wand, but no, no guns. Said they were too dangerous and that I was too young to learn them."

"Maybe I can teach you once this is over," Carl offered and Teddy smiled at him agreed thankfully. He would still need ask his a dad about it, though. Hopefully, his dad would agree and if not, well, he would have to convince him until he agreed to it. Or worst case scenario, learn secretly by himself with Carl.

"You're quite a lady," Axel said and made some goo-goo eyes to Carol who smiled shyly. Teddy looked back at Carl and both grimaced at the display.

"I think we'll see what we can do here and check out how the others are doing. Come Teddy," Carl quickly said and without waiting both walked away.

"Adults can be really gross sometimes," he added after they were out of earshot. They walked behind it the front yard and saw Glenn with the others carrying and placing heavy boxes around the fences. Rick and Michonne were on the other side, near a fallen bus, which stood in the middle of the field for what appeared to be talking about something.

"Maybe we should place those metal stuff around the front yard?" Teddy asked Carl. "I think Glenn and the others will be still busy, which gives me time to help with magic."

"Sounds good. I will keep a lookout for Glenn's group," Carl offered, while he moved the less heavier stuff around.

Teddy levitated one huge box after another right next to the fence, while Carl, Carol and Axel moved those less heavier stuff next or behind the boxes.

"You know what would be awesome right now?" Teddy asked after a while.

"What?" Carl asked as he moved one of those boxes towards the fence.

"To have a dragon, or a troll, here right now! Or a chimeron! Nasty buggers, but they can fight like hell."

Carl openly stared at him, before he exclaimed incredulously, "No way!? They are real too?"

"Yeah," Teddy said with a smile, as he levitated another box agains the wall. "There was this school tournament when my dad and aunt were in their 4th year. My dad was tricked into participating. The first task had been to steal a fake egg from the dragon mother. Female dragons are the worst bunch of them, especially when they have eggs to protect."

"There are dragons out there? Where? Are some of them here as well?" Carl eyes went even wider.

Teddy's smile dropped a little, as he said, "I… had an uncle who worked as a dragon tamer. Dragons are kept mostly in the magical part of Romania, somewhere in China and maybe another place. I'm not sure. My dad told me that they are used to protect the magical cities now, which is still difficult, but still possible. Just like all those other dangerous creatures and even house-elves who help protect the magical houses, villages and cities."

Just as Carl asked about the house-elves, Teddy suddenly froze when he picked up a new smell. It was a familiar scent that made his hackles rise. An overwhelming feeling of danger and fear came upon him, as he looked with wide eyes at Carl and said, "I think they are here."

They both looked around and saw a car on the outside, one of the aimed their gun at Carl and Axel. Teddy quickly levitated the closest heavy metal plate in their direction, just as both of them looked towards Teddy and Carl in confusion. Teddy ignored their confused stares and shouted, "DUCK!"

Carol quickly grabbed Axel's arm and pushed him down, just as a shot went off, hitting the metal file box Teddy had placed.

Carl pushed Teddy to his side and hid behind the boxes they just had levitated into the yard. Suddenly they kept firing like crazy at everyone. Teddy could see that the metal file box he had placed before Carol and Axel, was too small for them. He sent a quick _Engorgio_ spell at it and enlarged it to double its size, which covered the both of them completely. Carl next to him returned the fire, but Teddy couldn't see if he hit them at all.

Glenn came running back with Oscar, Tyreese and his sister and began to return the fire, taking cover behind a car. But then, out of nowhere, someone was shooting from above them and as he looked up saw a man standing on the tower, with a large gun and firing at them.

The door suddenly opened and two of the newcomer came rushing out with guns in their hands. Carl screamed at them to take cover, but instead of following the orders, they froze for a moment until a bullet hit the son of the man. The father screamed in return and held his injured son in his arms, while he tried to fire at the attackers direction. Carl tried to reach them, but every time he moved, he was in direct sight of the shooter on the tower, which made Carl return to the wall.

Teddy knew that if someone wasn't helping them soon, that both would be killed. Everyone else was too far away to help them. It left Teddy with only one option. Without warning, he levitated a metal plate in front of him, which he enlarged to cover him completely and used it as a shield as he moved forward. Carol tried to call him back, but Teddy kept moving, while several bullets hit the plate he levitated in front of himself, and just as he reached them a sharp pain spread from his side, making him crumble to the ground with the metal shield falling over him.

* * *

**21****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

"Did you hear that?" Harry asked as his heart suddenly picked up its speed at the possible implication of the sound.

Daryl and Harry stood frozen on their spot and listened intently, when suddenly a series of gun fire followed the single shot, coming from the other side of the prison.

"Fucking hell! We need to go back, now!" Daryl cursed and moved towards the direction they had come from.

Harry quickly stopped him by grabbing his arm and quickly explained, "There is a faster way, hold on tight," were Daryl's only warning as Harry side-along apparated them inside their Cell Block C.

Daryl stumbled with wide eyes and shock a little as soon as they arrived, but other than that didn't say anything, except curse at the experience.

Hermione was talking to Beth hurriedly, who was in a cell room with Judith and Jon. He noticed that Hermione had removed her bandages on her hands and held the wand still a little unsteadily in her hand. From the look of the swelling and coloring on her hands, they were probably still hurting.

"Daryl, Harry!" Beth called in relief, which made Hermione notice their arrival. She looked at him with a mixture of relief and worry. Beth held a crying baby in her arm, while she tried to sooth Jon, who hid behind Beth's leg, crying.

"Teddy is still out there, Harry," Hermione said in a shaky voice, while the gun fire still continued. "Everyone is out there, except us. We need to help them."

Harry nodded, trying to not to take the growing panic take over him.

Suddenly, Merle came running in and exclaimed in relief at the sight of his brother, "There y'are!" Without another word, he threw a gun at Daryl, who easily caught it and informed them, "The father an' his boy just rushed out. Idiots ain't have a clue how to hold a damn gun. Come on!"

Harry glanced back at Hermione who placed the last ward on the prison room, making Beth, Judith and Jon seem as if they had disappeared completely.

"What the hell?" Daryl exclaimed shocked after seeing Beth and the children disappear before.

"They aren't gone," Hermione quickly explained, as she walked towards the exit, "They are protected behind those wards, no one will see, hear or be able to penetrate them, until Harry or I remove it."

Harry sprinted towards Hermione and grabbed her arm to make her stop, "You will stay here, Hermione. You aren't fit to fight."

Hermione glared at him and said stubbornly, "I can still cast shields and spells, even if they aren't fast at the moment. I'm coming with you."

"We ain't have time for this shit, people. Move it!" Merle urged them on as they moved towards the exit.

Merle was right, there wasn't any time left to argue and quickly nodded to her. He would have to make sure that nothing happened to her, while they were outside.

"Cast the Disillusion Charm over us, I will hold the Protection Shield," Harry told Hermione, who quickly nodded and cast the said spell over the little group, concealing them from everyone until it either wears off or gets cancelled. Harry on the other hand would have to use constant magical strength to keep the shield up over them.

Merle and Daryl didn't comment on the magic cast over them and simply readied their guns. The brothers took the lead, immediately returning the fire from where they believed the shootings were coming from. They moved quickly down the steps, until they noticed the bodies near the entrance. Two unmoving bodies, the man and his son from the new group, who bore multiple shot wounds to the chest and lips. It was a gruesome sight. Hermione still checked their vitals with a quick spell, as soon as she was close to them, hoping that they somehow miraculously had survived, but the readings of the spell showed them that both were dead. Hermione quickly cast a straight cutting spell through their heads of father and son, making sure that they wouldn't be able to return.

Harry cast a quick glance around, trying to find his son among the chaos. He found Carol and Axel huddled behind a large metal file box, Glenn was with Tyreese, Sasha and Maggie on the other side, taking cover behind a car, defending themselves.

"TEDDY!" Hermione suddenly screamed in horror beside him, canceling her spell. Harry swiftly turned around and his heart almost stopped at the sight before him. Hermione kneeled down next to the unmoving body of his son, lying in a pool of his own blood.

Harry dropped the spell he was holding and rushed towards his son. A feeling of terror and numbing fear came upon him as he kneeling down on the other side of Teddy. He was barely aware of Carl next to Hermione, holding a metal plate with one hand up, while he tried to shoot at their attackers.

"No, no, no! Please no! Teddy!" Harry screamed over the shots. With shaky hands, he touched his face and turning to face him, as his vision blurred. Harry was barely aware of Hermione moving Teddy's blood soaked shirt up and casting some spells he couldn't hear.

"Hermione?" Harry almost shouted her name in a pleading voice.

His best friend looked up, with a tear streamed face, not able to hide her own fear, as she began to speak over the noises of the shots, "He- he is still alive, Harry. I- I couldn't find an exit wound. The bullet is still inside."

Harry nodded and moved Teddy from the ground, in a sitting position, which must have pushed Teddy back into consciousness, as he croakily spoke, "Dad?"

"Yes, yes, it's me," Harry's own body was shaking at that point. "We will get you fixed up, in no time."

But Teddy had lost his consciousness again. Harry looked back at Hermione in panic, who looked equally pale, while she said, "He lost too much blood. The spell says that the bullet perforated the large intestine and diaphragm and is probably somewhere inside it. I can't- I don't know how to get the bullet, Harry. My hands aren't functional to get it out, not without hurting him further. I- I don't know how to save him."

"Hershel is a doctor, he can operate on Teddy," Carl quickly cut in. "He can do it."

Hermione quickly looked back at Harry and nodded silently, agreeing that Hershel would have to do it. He was their last option for his son.

"Where is he?" Harry asked immediately. Not recalling that he had seen him with the others.

"I saw him with my dad and Michonne. On the field, by the bus," Carl said and pointed in the direction.

Harry quickly cast the Protection Shield over them as a bullet whizzed passed him. He saw Hermione cast a quick _Ferula _spell over the bullet wound, to stop the bleeding, as much as possible.

"Take him Harry, I will hold the Shield," Hermione quickly said as she stood up shakily and cast the said spell over the four of them. Harry swiftly picked up Teddy in his arms, and moved towards the direction they had come from. He absently noted how Carl reached for Teddy's wand, which had apparently rolled next to the boy. Harry saw Daryl and Merle giving them back up, with Carl next to Hermione, while Harry hurried up the stairs and just as he reached the door handle, Hermione sent a wandless _Alohomora _at the door, which sprang wide open as Harry swiftly stride through.

Hermione and Carl quickly rushed passed and prepared a magical enlarged table for Teddy, where Harry had gently placed his son. He saw Hermione _Accio_ her beaded handbag to them, pulling out potion bottle after another.

But then the shots suddenly stopped. Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

"Harry," Hermione cut through the haze of his mind, "I need Hershel! Find him, please!"

Harry just nodded, unable to find his voice as he rushed to the way he had come from. As he walked out, he heard Hermione ask Carl, if they had any surgical instruments.

The moment Harry walked out, the gun fire returned full force. A white hot fury came over him. So potent, that he began to shake and a red sparks shot off from his wand.

He was barely aware of the shouting of the others, trying to find a way to kill the sniper on the roof. Harry swiftly apparated to the same spot beside the wall, being aware that he was risking getting shot in the process. He stood at the same spot his son had been lying. The puddle of blood was like a cold awakening, fueling his rage completely. A bullet raced past him, just as he looked up and spotting the sniper on the roof of the tower, who had been mentioned moments ago.

Harry quickly aimed his wand at the tower and shouted, "_Bombarda! _You bloody bastard!"

He watched with cold satisfaction as the whole tower exploded and collapsed in its own, killing the sniper in the process. Everyone at the yard looked at him astonished and for a brief moment the gun firing stopped, before it returned full force.

Harry quickly crossed the distance between Daryl and himself and told him hurriedly, "Get those wounded out of here! I will get Hershel!"

Daryl nodded and told his brother what they needed to do. Harry turned towards the fence and got a clear sight of Rick, Michonne and Hershel hiding behind the bus, surrounded by two cars on either side of the outer fences. Without further thinking Harry quickly apparated between Rick and Hershel, and cast a quick Protection Shield over them, despite Rick and Michonne aiming their guns at him, until they realized who it was.

"Jesus!" Hershel exclaimed shocked on the ground. The older man was completely defenseless, as he practically lay on the ground, while the others tried to shoot at their attackers and protect Hershel.

"Are you hurt?" Harry asked Hershel quickly and checked him over, until the man shook his head.

"Harry, what are you doing here? What's going on?" Rick immediately after taking in the blood appearance of him.

"I need Hershel!" Harry said over the gun fire. "My son has been shot!"

Hershel nodded worriedly and wanted to stand up, but Harry quickly grabbed him and without warning apparated them back into their cell block, right next to Axel, who jumped in shock. Harry gently helped the man up until he regained his footing with his crutches and helped him towards Hermione's and Teddy's direction. Beth seemed to follow Hermione's orders, by getting certain supplies and preparation. Carl was on the far side, near the exit, with a gun holding it ready to fight. Luckily there was no sign of Jon and Judith.

"Harry, Hershel, thank Merlin!" Hermione breathed out in relief, as she brushed the tears away. "I placed Teddy in a magical sleep and stabilized him as much as we could, Beth helped me with the possible supplies you would need to operate him."

Hershel quickly took over, while Hermione explained in detail Teddy's condition.

Harry noticed that the shooting had stopped again, before someone fired a series of shots from an automatic gun. Harry glanced one last time at his son's motionless face, before he apparated back behind the safe spot of the prison's bus, which still made the other two jump at his appearance. Harry quickly pulled the shield over them and assessed the situation.

"What's going on?" Harry asked as he tried to look around.

"Don't know," Rick said. "They are still out there. Waiting."

Harry frowned and said, "I could apparate us behind them and-"

"Wait," Michonne suddenly cut in, her head titled to the side. "Do you hear that?"

Both, Harry and Rick listened intently and heard an approaching vehicle.

"A car," Rick stated, and Harry wondered with dread if they brought back up. If that was the case, they would have to act fast and attack them before they could do it.

Harry moved to the side with the others, and saw the car broke through the entrance gates, driving right past them in the. The orange and white vehicle, looked like a horse travel van. Harry aimed his wand at the van and quickly fired an _Immobulus _spell on the car, making it halt a few feet before them.

As Harry slowly moved closer, without losing his cover, he heard noises that were all too familiar that stopped him in his tracks.

"Oh, bloody hell no!" Harry cursed and quickly shot a _Collorportus _spell at the backdoor of the van, locking it in place and made sure that the undead in the car wouldn't get free. Rick and Michonne must have realized what was happening as they aimed their gun at the driver and backdoor, respectively. After a moment, the driver jumped out of the car, completely covered in heavy protective gear and began to shoot at them.

While the driver's bullets didn't seem to hit their mark, Harry quickly pushed Rick to the side, dropped his shield, and shot an _Expelliarmus_ spell, making the gun fly away, before he cast a swift _Sectumsepra_ on the protection gear, destroying the helmet and the vest in the process. Rick took the opportunity and killed the driver with a bullet in his chest and another to the head.

Harry had about just enough and was ready to apparate outside to kill the bastard, but before he could do that, he saw the two cars driving off. Going after them now would put the group in danger. The gun fires had been like beacon light for the undead within a few miles radius. Soon, they would be probably run over from all directions by the undead. It could be hundreds or more undead heading their way now and with the broken fences, the undead would take over the whole middle yard and possibly even the front yard of their prison, if the number of undead was high enough.

Rick ordered them to get back inside and shut the gates, when Harry cut, "I can fix the gate. You just need to make sure that those undead won't get inside or near the fence, while I repair them."

"You sure about that?" Rick asked as he gauged the situation.

"Yes, I can repair it with magic."

Rick nodded in the end and ordered Michonne to kill the walkers as they came closer. Harry levitated the ripped up pieces of the main gate near the entrance, before he cast the _Reparo_ spell on it, mending the damaged pieces together.

He could only imagine how that must look like for the muggles to see something like that.

Daryl, Merle, Glenn and Maggie had also joined them at some point and helped kept the undead at bay, while Harry quickly continued to magical repair the damaged metal, until the fence stood again as they did before they were ripped off its hingers. He added a strengthening spell on the material, before he moved to the second door gate of the entrance. Even though there wasn't the looming threat of the undead in his way to fix the fence quickly, Harry still repaired it as fast as possible, adding the same layer of strengthening magic, as he did for the main gate.

As soon as he finished, Harry walked back towards the group who surrounded the van in the field. He wanted to go back to his son, but right now, this van posed a great risk to this group. Many of them looked at the van in disbelief, while Merle appeared calm and collected. Something he must have seen and probably done himself under the command of the Governor, at least once.

"That's ya welcome gift, from the Governor," Merle stated after he looked at the car. "Probably 20 or 30 biters in there, I'd guess."

"Bet you know all about your pal," Glenn commented snidely at Merle.

"What will we do with it?" Maggie cut in, changing the topic before another fight could occur between those two.

"Maybe we should return the favor and send the car back, leave those walkers at their front step. Then we can attack-," Glenn suggested angrily.

"No, Glenn," Rick cut him angrily. "We won't attack them. Not this way and not now. Right now we have to get back to our people, make sure they are alright and then we will figure something out."

Glenn walked away angrily. Maggie followed him after an apologizing glance to Rick.

"Can we get the car out?" Daryl asked after a moment. "I saw how your magic mojo on the car and made it stop. Is it still working?"

Harry rubbed his face tiredly, even though he could feel the adrenaline coursing through him. "Honestly, I don't know. Sometimes, magic can destroy technology devices and even engines, motors, or certain parts. We can try it though. Is the car turned off? And the backdoor of the van closed? If I cast the counter spell, it will render my locking charm on the backdoor as well."

Merle, who was the closest to the drivers side, pulled himself into the car and after a moment told them that it was safe and secure. The others still pointed their guns at the backdoor of the van, while Harry cast the _Finite_ spell on the vehicle. They all sighed in relief when the backdoor didn't open afterwards. Daryl gave the go for his brother, who turned on the car. It took a while until the engine of the car was running again.

"I'll go with Merle," Daryl announced. "Follow him with my bike, make sure all's goin' well. Will get the van back, after we ditched the walkers. Could use it for supply runs."

Rick agreed to Daryl's suggestion and both talked more in details about their plans.

"I'm going back inside, Rick," was the only warning Harry gave before he apparated inside Cell Block C, in the room they had slept in, before he walked swiftly towards Teddy, only to stop in his tracks and watch as Hermione, Hershel and even Beth, still operated on Teddy on the far side of the cell block. Not wanting to disturb them, he watched from a distance as Hermione held her wand pointed at the area Hershel was operating, that send a constant mint blue light on the area, a spell he didn't know or had seen before. Harry could see how the three talked softly to each other and once in a while, Beth would pull up a bottle and follow, what appeared to be, Hermione's instructions.

"Harry?" Carl suddenly spoke next to him, which made him look down at the boy, who bore a tight expression on his face. "Is my dad… is he…?"

Immediately understanding what he was trying to say, Harry quickly assured the boy, "Yes, he is fine, don't worry. He will be here soon."

Carl's shoulder's sagged in relief, before he nodded in thanks to Harry.

He was just about to leave, when he turned around and looked up at Harry. "I almost forgot," said Carl and pulled out Teddy's wand from his back pocket. "It was on the ground and I didn't want it to get broken." Without another word, he handed over Teddy's wand. Harry gently picked it up and felt a sudden electrical charge coming from the wand, right before Carl let it go. Frowning at the strange feeling, he held the wand of his son gently.

"Will Teddy be ok?" Carl asked after a moment, which made Harry look back at him. "I mean, you have magic, which makes things easier, right?"

"I hope so, Carl," Harry simply said, not wanting to voice out his worry and the fear that was beginning to take over again. He looked around, seeing all the wounded and shocked faces, before he settled back on watching his son. He wished that it was this easy, to simply wave his wand and make everything alright again.

* * *

A/N: To clear up some confusion, I've mentioned in the last chapter that I was struggling with some part of my writing. It was about this chapter. It drove me crazy, kept changing and twisting the scene, the POV, the event all together… it was maddening. However, I hope you liked my version of event :)

And now, I want to wish you all a Happy Christmas, Frohe Weihnachten, Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël, Buon Natale, Feliz Navidad, God Jul, Nollaig Shona, Hyvää Joulua…


	19. Chapter 18 - Bad Blood

A/N: First, I want to apologize for the long wait. The holiday's kept me busy, I wrote whenever I had the time, so this story is still going, with a more regular update. In the meantime I've been working on a new HP/TWD Crossover story, which is almost finished and I'm really excited about posting it. It will be different, but in a good way.

Now, I want to thank all those amazing reviews I've received for the last chapter! You people are just amazing. I also want to thank everyone who put this story on their favorite and following list. It's simply mind-blowing to see how many people have come to like this story. So, thank you all!

And, I want to thank uoduck, who takes the time to beta read the story. Thank you so much!

Hope you like the new chapter :)

* * *

**Chapter 18 - Bad Blood**

* * *

**21****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

The day felt unbelievably long. With the help of his magic, Harry had repaired the fences, cleaned and repaired the damage fairly quick. Now, though, everything seemed quiet and gave the appearance that everything that happened, the attacks, casualties and injured people, was nothing more than a nightmare. As if they hadn't been attacked mere hours ago.

Harry rubbed his eyes, under his glasses tiredly, as he sat on the ground, next to the wall where he had found his son. He had already vanished the blood, but he still knew exactly where it had been. The spot had imprinted on his mind by now. Harry knew that he wouldn't get the images of his lifeless son on the ground out of his mind ever again.

Thankfully, Hermione and Hershel, with the help of Beth, had been able to save Teddy, who was currently in the bed under a healing spell for another 24 hours. It would give the potions and spells enough time to fix any lingering damage on his body. It was a relief and maddening at the same time.

After the wounded had been treated, Harry went out with Sasha, Daryl and Rick to cremate the bodies of the father and son, whose name he didn't even recall, until Tyreese and Sasha told the others. The siblings wanted to bury father and son, just like they had done with their deceased friends, who had been the mother and wife of the small family, and just like Rick's group did it in the past. But Harry had put his foot down, explained that burying those bodies, even if they hadn't been turned yet, was a risk for their eco-system and environment, with unknown risk to even their own health.

Daryl had immediately agreed with Harry and backed him up, shortly followed by the Rick and Sasha, after Harry had told them that he had done the same thing with his own best friend. Thankfully, no one asked more about Ron.

With a quick _Incendio Tria_ spell, the more powerful Fire-Making Charm, cast towards the bodies which turned them within minutes to nothing but ashes. He conjured the remains into a transfigured urn and gave it to Sasha. Without another word to the others, Harry went and cremated the undead and the dead muggles in the prison field yard and vanished the remains afterwards. A small part of him felt guilty for doing this, but another and greater part, simply didn't care anymore.

Following the removal of every body on the field, Harry went to fix the damage caused to the prison silently. He repaired the bullet holes around the prison walls, removed the empty bullet brasses on the ground and repaired anything he saw, except for the destroyed prison tower, which he had destroyed with his magic. He didn't know how long it took him to fix everything, before he went and put several strengthening spells around the three fences surrounding the prison and another layer of a security spell, which would alert him of any 'living' being coming closer than three yards to the prison.

Harry knew that this was his way to work out his worry and anger for what had happened. A part of him wanted to hunt this bloody bastard down and kill him and everyone who stood in his way, but he simply couldn't. Not yet, anyway. He needed to see his son. Needed to look him into the eyes, talk to him, and just make sure that he was alright. Even though he knew that Teddy would be fine, but he couldn't calm down. His mind was spurting those damn what if questions at him.

His hand grabbed the silver chain of his dog tag that was hidden below his shirt. It had been a gift from Teddy, given to him on their last Christmas. It looked like one of those military dog tags. He had found out afterwards that he had help from Duncan McGonagall who found an unused dog tag and from Hermione, who had shown him the spells to engrave the metal pieces. On one side the tag wore the Potter crest symbol, with a wolf and lion on each side standing guard at a crest in form of a shield with the magnificent stag and right above was a large P, with a sword in the center of it. Harry knew that it must have taken him hours to make this look like the actual family crest and Harry had loved it.

Behind the Potter crest, were the list of names of the people he called family, with a little space left as well. Hermione, Teddy, Jon and Ron, who had been written in cursive script with the date of his death below it. Harry didn't need to ask what he meant by it. It had been one of the best gifts he had ever received and he since then had never taken it off. Always under his clothes, with his own layer of protection on the necklace.

Harry couldn't stop the thought of wondering if his son would be next on the list of people he lost. A thought that left him terrified. He would rather give his own life that in exchange for Teddy, Jon or Hermione. Without them, he didn't know how keep going.

Harry sighed deeply, as he pushed those worrying thoughts away, put the necklace bag inside his shirt and opened the half empty fire-whiskey. The bottle had been relatively full when he had found it, or to be accurate, when Hermione had found it in her belongings, shortly after he had arrived at Fort Polk Military Base. Hermione had gotten the bottle as a gift from Tom, the landlord of Leaky Cauldron, and apparently Hermione had put it into her beaded bag unknowingly, not that she had missed it in the first place.

As soon as Harry opened the bottle, he took a big swig straight from it. He caught lightly as a swallowed the drink and the burning almost painful sensation went down his throat.

"Either that's some strong shit, or you're too pansy for that," came a familiar southern voice from his side, which made Harry look up and smile faintly at Daryl, who still carried his crossbow over his shoulder.

Harry silently offered the bottle to him, who took it after a moment and without another word took a swig from the bottle and just as he swallowed it, Daryl bent over and caught heavily. Harry snickered beside him and took the bottle, which was held up to him.

"Fucking shit!" Daryl caught one last time and sat next to Harry's left side, as if he knew that the right space next to him was the reason he was sitting here.

"What the hell was that?!" Daryl asked surprised, "It's worse than the home-made shit."

"Firewhiskey, which is actually more of a scotch than whiskey. Don't know the difference actually. Never been much of a drinker," Harry said admitting more than he was actually intending to.

Both were silent, as they looked out the fences and watched the undead coming slowly from the woods towards the closed main gates. Probably around thirty of those things were held back by the rebuilt fences.

"It's not your fault you know," Daryl spoke gently next to him. "What happened to your kid, I mean."

Harry took a deep breath and moved his hand frustratingly through his hair, before he admitted, "Feels like it. I… I should have been here. Should have thought that this crazy bastard would attack us much sooner." Harry couldn't keep the frustration and anger out of his voice, as he continued, "I shouldn't have underestimated him, should have put wards around the prison, spells that could have alerted me of his approach… I should have done something… I let my guards down and because of my own stupidity, my son got hurt. It's my fault that he got hurt… something I've had sworn to never let happen to him… Promised to myself to keep him safe, love him like my own child and protect him no matter what."

Harry could feel Daryl's eyes on him, while he stared at the spot on the ground, where he had found his son. Guilt and regret were eating at him. Harry knew deep down that this was just another moment of his life that he would never forgive himself nor forget.

"The day your kids arrived here with Michonne, before you found them, Teddy was calm and absolutely sure that you would find them…He knew that you would do anything for them," Daryl said in what sounded like an admiring tone, which made Harry turn to look at him.

He was instantly captivated by Daryl's sky blue eyes, who looked back at him in understanding and kindness. Daryl nodded slightly as he assured Harry, "You're a good dad, I can tell and your kid knows you love him."

Deeply moved by his words and unable to find his voice, Harry blinked several times before he nodded in thanks to Daryl's words. It strangely meant a lot to him that Daryl said this words. Even though they had known each other for just a few days, he felt oddly close to him. As if they understood each other, knew how the other would think, feel or act. It was a new feeling for Harry, something he only shared to only an extent with Hermione.

"Teddy means everything to me, even if he is not my biological son. The same is with Hermione and Jon. They are all I have as a family and I… don't know what I would do if I lost either one of them," Harry admitted to Daryl.

A part of Harry knew that if would lose any more of his family, that he would lose a part of himself too. Leaving something dark and dangerous behind, not able to hold it back or control it. He was barely containing his anger and fury at this moment. It was a part from him that had been there since the war… since his loss of Sirius and it had grown throughout the years of the war. Ron's death had been like a wake up call to his darker side which he had learned to bury deeply in the years after the war. Even when he had been an Auror, there were rarely any cases that pushed him to his limits. But now, he could feel the growing thirst for revenge in him.

"We will protect them," Daryl spoke gently next to him, breaking Harry's trail of thoughts and made him look back at Daryl. "Your family an' this group. We'll make sure that this won' happen again."

Harry nodded in thanks to his words, unable to look him further in the eyes, as he leaned his head against the wall. Instead he stared up at the clear blue sky, which reminded him of his new friend's eye color. The clear sky had always a calming effect on Harry. That was probably another reason why he had loved to fly under a cloudless heaven the most.

Harry could feel his emotions warring inside him. Rage, fear, revenge and guilt clashed with Daryl's soothing voice and words. It was strange how his words and company had taken the edge of Harry's inner chaos, but it still lingering in the background. He knew the only way he could calm down was Teddy. After going through the fear of losing everyone, to almost losing Hermione and now Teddy, was just too much for him. What he needed right now, was holding his healthy son in his arms and even wasn't sure if he could ever let go after that.

* * *

**21****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

Hermione felt utterly exhausted as she sat next to Teddy's sleeping form. She didn't know how long she had been assisting Hershel and the surgery on Teddy. She had pushed her herself relentlessly and made sure that every spell was strong and effective, while the elderly man operated on Teddy's shot wound. Hermione had quickly repaired or slowed down the blood flow, giving Hershel time to repair the damage the bullet had caused with the conjured instruments as well as her potions. Hermione pushed all her fears and worries away and worked as quickly as possible with Hershel to save Teddy.

Together they were able to repair the graver damage, before the man dared to remove the object, followed by more spells and potions induced directly into the wound that had knit and repaired tissue, muscle and veins. Even though Hershel was new to all the things magic, he quickly grasped Hermione's ability and a quick explanation of each potion, which had made things easier in the end.

As soon as they had finished with Teddy, Hermione called Headmistress McGonagall. She needed a professional opinion and needed to know if she had done everything right or worse, missed something. Hershel had been positive that Teddy would heal well after bed rest, but she needed Madame Pomfrey's confirmation. It wasn't that she didn't trust Hershel, she did after all put her faith in the man to save Teddy, but she knew that complications could occur even with the slightest misstep of healing.

Everyone at Hogwarts had been shocked and horrified. Madame Pomfrey had quickly taken over and guided Hermione through various evaluation and observation spells, which she had performed on Teddy. It had taken them almost half an hour to perform every spell. The hope inside her grow with each spell that showed a positive result towards his health and when the mediwitch confirmed to Hermione that Teddy wouldn't suffer any complications, the relief flooded her. Even Harry looked like he was near tears when Hermione told him that Teddy would be fine, which had made Harry pull her into a tight hug and kiss on the cheek before he went to Teddy, whom she had put in a magical healing sleep.

Afterwards, Hermione and Madame Pomfrey had attended to the other injured people, when she had heard Beth asking for her help. It was a surprise and a relief to hear that Promfrey knew several healing spells that could heal muggles as well. Several of them had mild injuries, which had been taken care of by Harry, Hershel and Beth, but two had needed small surgeries.

Together, with Hershel, Beth and Madame Pomfrey, who had directed Hermione through the mirror, healed Oscar first. He had a bullet wound on his left shoulder that had perforated his lung and had begun to make breathing difficult. Carol had been the other one who needed surgery due to the bullet wound in her right upper thigh. Luckily, no major artery had been damaged nor had it caused a bone fracture. It was a relief that they hadn't lost anymore people. It was already horrible enough to lose two people from the new group.

With the right spells, as well as Hershel's quick and accurate work, they could push the healing process. The medwitch had assured them that they would be good as new within two days. Due to the lack of potions made for muggles, Hermione could only rely on the given healing spells save for muggles. An acceptable substitute for the moment, but when things calmed down, Hermione had set up two cauldrons to create potions suitable for muggles and squibs that would be needed the most for the group right now. They were set at the far side of the cell block were on the table two caldrons, brewing a muggle version of Blood-Replenishing Potion and a batch of Pain Relief Potion. Later, if she had the time and opportunity she would create further potions for other needs of healing.

_"Where is Mr Potter, Miss Granger?" _Madame Pomfrey called from the mirror, which she was holding with the other hand, while she gently held Teddy's hand. She was well aware that he wouldn't wake up until tomorrow. The mediwitch and Headmistress McGonagall had refused to close the mirror, not until everything was settled.

"Harry's outside," Hermione explained, as she recalled how Harry had left Teddy, looking distraught and upset. Hermione wanted to go to him and talk to him, but she knew that he needed time, which she would give him for now. "He said he planned to ward the prison as much as possible. The facility is too large to cast any permanent or very strong wards, though and I'm not sure how to do that, to be honest."

_"I will inform Kingsley,"_ Headmistress McGonagall cut it, next to the mediwitch,_ "I'm sure that someone will have an idea on how to secure the premisses." _

_"Miss Granger, did you take your potions? You should rest for a while," _Madame Pomfrey coaxed Hermione gently.

"I will, after I finish the potions, which should be ready within the hour," Hermione promised.

_"Good, good. I will send you the copy of the healing spell books for muggles and squibs and another for magical people. Circe knows, with the way trouble keeps finding you all, you will need it,"_ Madame Pomfrey stated half amused and half in concern.

Hermione thanked them both sincerely and after talking shortly with Molly they closed the call.

She sighed tiredly and gently brushed Teddy's pale grey hair. She couldn't recall ever having seen him this coloring. Not even when he broke his arm, during a Quidditch game at the Weasley's. She remembered how scared and worried she had been that day, but seeing Teddy today, lifeless on the ground in his own pool of blood had frightened Hermione deeply. She couldn't remember ever feeling this way before. Not during the war or even when they had been attacked by the Governor.

Hermione knew that Teddy saw her more of an aunt than a mother, which was due to the fact that Hermione had been in his earlier years, abroad at the university. Immediately after, she had begun to work that had become longer and more time consuming, where she was more away then home. Harry had filled the void in Teddy's life, especially after Andromeda's death. Hermione remembered when Teddy had started to call Harry dad, while he still called her Aunt Mione. A small part of her had felt jealous and hurt by it, that Teddy could feel more love for Harry than for her. She had carried this feeling for a few days, until Ron had actually talked with Hermione. He had admitted that he knew how it felt to be in the shadow or the feeling of jealousy for those he loved, having felt that way for his brothers, even admitting that he had felt this way towards Harry and Hermione. The confession had surprised her greatly. He had given her an inside, another perspective of her own godson and the relationship he had with Harry, namely, that Teddy needed someone to call family. A father who was always there for him, who he could rely on and Harry needed someone close to love and take care of to balance his own responsibility as an Auror, something to give him strength to get him home.

This realization had floored Hermione. She had been so deep in her own project and career that she hadn't realized how much Harry and Teddy needed someone to call not only family, but also to love. The feeling of jealousy and hurt was quickly replaced with guilt and shame that she had taken her own needs before others. She should have been there for them, she knew that now, but she was glad that the two people, who meant the most to her had found a way to bond and became as close as father and son could be.

There were just moments that Hermione wished to have not missed the opportunity to become someone close as a mother for Teddy as well. Especially, after she had Jon, did she realize how much Teddy had meant to her and how much she loved him like a son.

"Are you alright?" a familiar voice pulled her from her own thoughts. Rick stood at the open cell door, looking with concern at her.

She didn't know what it was, maybe it was the worry in his voice or final calmness of the chaos, that she began to cry. The tears fell heavily, as she was not able to stop them. It was like all the pain, worry, fear and grief finally came loose. Even her earlier emotional outburst with Harry didn't seem to have been enough to get over the worst moments of her life, these past week. Witnessing the massacre of brave men and Walter, being held imprisoned and tortured, fearing that she would never see her children again, feeling helpless, powerless and hopeless, but nothing could have prepared her for having almost lost Teddy today. It was as if all those horrible moments, her worst fears had come crashing down together, suffocating her in an emotional inferno.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of strong arms surrounding her, holding her tightly, while Hermione let herself fall apart as she grabbed as hard as she could on his.

* * *

**21****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

Both, Daryl and Harry sat silently next to each other, watching from their sitting position against the wall, over the green prison field. Harry observed from afar how more undead came closer to the prison, surrounding the facility one by one. So far, the number of undead coming from the woods were still manageable, but that could change very easily at any moment. For now, they had the fences to protect them. Three rows of fences that surrounded the prison, but there weren't indestructible. He had seen what an army of undead could do to a well protect military base.

It still baffled him that the living could be this cruel and could become even worse than the undead, nowadays.

Suddenly, he felt the wand in his wand-holster vibrate in warning against his forearm. Harry quickly got up and pulled out his wand looking at the outside fence for any intruder.

"What's going on?" Daryl asked confused as he stood up and followed him.

"Someone is here," Harry explained. "I set a spell on the perimeter of the prison that would warn me of any living being coming closer than three feet to the prison. The alarm just went off."

"Shit!" Daryl cursed and prepared his crossbow. "Do you know how many?"

Harry frowned, as he held his wand and felt more into the wards he had created. "It's either two, or my wards are not working."

Daryl held his crossbow ready and looked at the gate, trying to locate the intruder, as he said, "Go warn Rick and the others."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, not wanting to leave him behind. It could be another ambush and he didn't want to risk his life.

"Yeah. Just go."

With a last glance at the man next to him, he apparated inside Cell Block C. Several people gasped in surprise, at his sudden appearance followed by the characteristic loud pop. On the other hand, he was startled to see Rick rushing out from his and Hermione cell room, with his gun drawn out, until he realized who it was. Rick lowered his gun in confusion, and before he could say anything, Harry quickly explained, "Someone triggered the wards I've placed. So far there are only two people. Could be more."

Harry noted Hermione coming out from the same room Rick had emerged from, as soon as he had spoken. She still looked pale and appeared to have cried recently. She must have seen the concern on his face, as she gently shook her head, silently telling him that she was fine. Harry nodded slightly and looked back to Rick, had clenched his teeth, making the muscle in his jaw tick. A telltale sign that he was really upset and angry about the situation.

Rick took a deep breath and quickly ordered, "Everyone who is injured will stay behind. Carl, Beth, Sasha you will stay here as well. Everyone else, grab your weapons."

With a last glance at Hermione, who looked at him with worry and fear, he apparated back into the courtyard, before he could change his mind and make sure his best friend was alright. To Harry's dismay though, he saw Daryl walking through the prison field towards the main gate.

"Bloody hell!" Harry cursed before he hid his wand, pulled out his gun and took off behind Daryl.

"Daryl, wait!" Harry called out, just as he was about to open the middle fence. "What the bloody hell are you doing?"

"That's Andrea," he said and pointed at something in front of him. Harry looked at the gestured direction and saw a blond woman. He had recognized her instantly, from the room he had seen her the first time with Michonne, which meant that this was the infamous Andrea Rick's group had talked about. He wondered absently, why Michonne never had told them about Andrea and the room.

Andrea held an undead by one of those long stick, a dogcatcher, which he had seen during the rescue of Daryl and Merle in the Woodburry arena. Harry could see that the undead around her didn't seem to pay any attention yet. He recalled Hermione's words that the undead could be used as a form of concealment, which this woman was clearly makes use of it. Both arms of the undead had been chopped off, and the jaw ripped away, as well as most of the teeth gone. It reminded him of something Merle had said about Michonne's two undead companions.

As Harry moved closer, he saw a man hiding behind the woman. Harry became furious as he recognized the man. It was the doctor who was in the room with Hermione when he had rescued her. A part of him wanted to leave them outside to let the undead have them, because at some point both of them would have noticed.

Daryl must have seen the murderous glint in his eyes as he asked, "Ya'll right?"

Harry glanced at Daryl and explained, "He was in the room where I found Hermione."

Daryl's posture became rigid at the information. "We'll keep our guards up."

Harry narrowed his eyes at the woman, especially when he so clearly recalled the way he had met her. In the end, Harry decided to trust Daryl and helped him. While Daryl tried worked on opening the middle fence gate, which would lead to the main gate, Harry began to kill the undead with his gun around the blond woman. Each shot was well aimed at the head of the undead, killing them instantly. His gun barely made any sound as he cleared the surroundings of the woman and the man. Harry heard the people running towards them, but didn't turn around as he made sure that Daryl was safe. The moment Daryl opened the gate to let the two newcomers in, Harry killed the undead Andrea held captive, before the thing could even walk inside the prison. Dropping the undead outside, Andrea rushed past them and Daryl closed the fences before any other undead could come near them.

The woman panted and smiled at the approaching group that came from the prison building, until she turned around and was faced with Harry's gun aimed directly at her. Her smile dropped instantly and was replaced with surprise and disbelief. As if offended that someone actually aimed a weapon at her. Her face turned even almost outrageous, when Daryl stood next to Harry and didn't do anything to stop him or interfere. Harry could see, from his peripheral vision that he aimed his loaded crossbow at the man, who had immediately raised his arms in the air.

She turned to look at Rick and Glenn for help, but when they also raised their weapons at them, she looked something like upset and hurt at Rick.

Just as she was about to say something, Rick cut her off and ordered her to move. Together they walked past the second gate and through the field. Harry made sure that both Andrea and the man were in his clear sight, even when he slowed down a little so that he was closer to Daryl, as he closed down the second gate door. The man was clearly terrified, while Andrea didn't seem to understand what was going on.

"Rick, what-" Andrea tried to talk with him, but Rick wouldn't have it.

He kept his gun steady and aimed at her. "I said move." Not leaving room for discussion.

The group silently walked through the pathway of the field, until they reached the last fence that would lead into the courtyard. But before anyone could open the fence, Rick pushed her against the metal grid and ordered in an angry voice, "Hands up! Turn around!"

"What?" Andrea exclaimed shocked, but Rick had already pushed her around, against the fence and removed her bag forcefully. He threw the bag at Maggie, who took it and checked it for any weapons.

Glenn moved and did the same with the man, who followed the order without resisting, which couldn't be said about Andrea.

"Are you two alone?"

"What?" Andrea asked again, sounding more disoriented.

"I asked if you two came alone or is your boyfriend waiting somewhere?" Rick asked again and began to frisk her for weapons. Harry kept his gun pointed at the woman, while Daryl stood next to him and did the same to the doctor.

"What? No! I mean, yes. It's just us. Milton and I came alone."

Rick removed a gun and knife from her. The man, Milton, surprisingly didn't have any weapon on him, beside a short knife. After they made sure that they weren't any threat to the group, Harry and the others lowered their weapons.

Andrea was completely shocked and looked speechless at the others. Rick and Glenn pushed the two newcomers towards the prison building, just as Rick muttered, almost tauntingly to Andrea, "Welcome back."

No one said anything as they walked into the prison. Rick led the way followed by Daryl, while Harry and Glenn stayed further behind with Merle, Michonne and Maggie to keep an eye on them. As they went inside, Carol and Hershel came from different directions towards them. Rick stood next to Hershel close to their cell block, making it clear to everyone that no one would enter this side of the prison, where Hermione, the children and the remaining of the group were.

Carol went towards Andrea and both women embraced each other, saying something to each other Harry couldn't hear. Milton chose to stay close to Andrea and further apart from Glenn. They all gathered around the front area, just outside their cell block.

Everyone stood around. Harry chose to be close to their cell block entrance, to calm his own nerves and just to be sure he would be able to protect them if something should happen. He knew it was irrational, but Harry was just too wired up to really calm down. He quickly turned around and looked into the cell block and was met with the worried faces of Hermione, Oscar, Carl and Beth. He gave them a nod and a little smile, trying to assure them that everything was under control.

Carl quickly walked away from the group to join them, as did Beth, after saying something to Hermione who nodded and took Judith, before the young girl came towards them as well. Beth quickly went to embrace the woman, while Carl didn't even attempt to go to her. Instead he chose to stand close to Harry.

Meanwhile, Rick went towards Axel, who stood next to Sasha and her brother Tyreese. Harry couldn't hear them properly, but guessed from the way they nodded, grabbed their weapons and walked out. They should probably keep watch just in case something should happen. Even his magic had its limits and he couldn't see the threat closing in on them, not until they almost reached the prison.

Harry stood aside, kept his gun in his hand while he observed everything. He didn't trust these two newcomers, even if the woman had been part of this group once. People change. Especially, in these days.

"I can't believe this," Andrea suddenly spoke and looked around at everyone. No one had made a move towards her after Carol and Beth greeted her. Everyone stood aside and watched her, which was a good sign to Harry. It meant that this group wasn't seeing everything made of rainbows and pink candy cotton fluff.

When no one deemed to respond to Andrea's exclamation, she looked around once again, as if looking for someone, and asked, "Where's Shane?"

Harry blinked in confusion, but otherwise kept his guard, as he listened to the group. She stared at Rick, but he only met her eyes for a moment, before he shook his head once and looked away. Daryl glanced at Rick for a moment, but didn't say anything. No one did. It didn't take a genius to guess that this Shane was dead.

"And Lori?" Andrea asked, sounding worried.

Rick was unable to meet her gaze when the name fell and looked down at the mention of his deceased wife. Harry had found out the story of his wife from Carol after he had met Judith for the first time. It broke his heart to hear that Carl had witnessed something so traumatic and what he did afterwards. No child should have ever done, seen or forced to do something like that.

Harry glanced down at Carl who stood next to him and saw the haunted look in them before he hid his face with the hat as he looked down. It broke his own heart. Instinctively, Harry took a step closer to Carl, letting him know that he was there for him, that what he had to do was necessary and not his fault. Harry knew what it felt like to not have any parents, or forced to kill someone you care and love. Sometimes it was just enough to know that someone still accepts you for being you and not give you the look of pity or fear.

They way Carl blinked eyes at the sudden mention of his mother, Harry knew from his own experience, that as soon as someone would have touched him, that Carl would lose his composure.

"She had a girl," Hershel took over, explaining to Andrea what had happened. She immediately turned towards him as he continued. "Lori didn't survive."

"Neither did T-Dog," Maggie cut in. Harry hadn't heard of the name before, but guessed that he was also someone who had been part of this group.

"I'm so sorry," Andrea said, looking earnestly upset about the information, before she turned towards them and addressed Carl by calling out his name emotionally. She took a step closer, which made Carl tense beside him. Harry gently placed a protective hand on the teenager's shoulder and glared at the blond woman, which made her stop in her tracks. Carl didn't say anything, nor did he make to move towards her.

Either she didn't seem to see the tension of the group or chose to ignore it, as she turned around and took a few steps closer to the sheriff.

"Rick, I…" she said, but Rick took two steps back, making more distance between Andrea and himself, which made her stop in whatever she wanted to say. It gave a clear message to her.

Andrea chose again to ignore the tension in the room, and asked, "You all live here?"

"Here and the cell block," Glenn answered, who stood behind her.

Andrea looked at Harry's and Carl's direction and pointed her finger behind him. "There?" she asked, pointing a finger in that direction, before she suddenly made a move towards the direction, while she asked, "Well, can I go in?"

Harry instantly took a step closer in front of Carl. Daryl and Rick jumped next and blocked her way, which made him instantly relief of their support. Harry's hand tightened on his gun and it took him a lot not to raise it at the blond woman, who immediately stopped in her track as soon as he saw their defensive stance.

"I won't allow that," Rick quickly stated and stood in her path.

"I'm not an enemy, Rick."

Harry snorted at the comment, which earned him a glare from the blond woman.

"We had a secure and safe place for us all, until your boyfriend chose to attack us out of nowhere and shot us up," Rick pointed out angrily. Leaving out that the once destroyed fences and van full of undead.

"He said you fired first," Andrea stated confused.

Harry rolled his eyes, while Rick looked a little incredulously at Andrea and simply said, "Well, he's lying."

"He killed two people. A father and his son," Hershel spoke, giving her an insight of what the Governor had done to them. "They came here for shelter, a place to be save. They died trying to protect us."

"They were one of us and he almost got Carol, Oscar… and a kid," Daryl pointed out.

"That- that can't be," Andrea stated upset and looked worriedly at Carol and the bandage over her pants on her tight and then at her companion. "We didn't know anything about that. As soon as I found out, Milton and I came. I didn't even know you were in Woodbury, until after the shoot-out."

"Is that so," Harry spoke up for the first time, getting the attention of everyone. "How strange. So, you weren't aware that your Governor held two members of your previous group hostage, nor that he had a woman against her will in his own home, up at the attic?"

Andrea's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"Why don't you ask your friend over there?" Harry said and pointed at the paling doctor.

"I-I," Milton stuttered, speechlessly.

"I bet he knew all about the prisoners and the things your leader did to them," Harry added, not hiding his growing anger at the subject. "How your Governor tortured Glenn and Maggie, people who were once your friends, or that he would imprison a defenseless woman, who he had kidnapped after massacring a whole unit of soldiers."

Andrea shook his head in shocked disbelief. "Philip wouldn't do that," she argued, while shaking her head.

Harry scoffed at the stupidity of the woman.

"Milton, tell them that he wouldn't do that to someone!"

"How do you explain his face then?" Harry asked with a finger pointed at Glenn's face, who was still bruised. "Walked against a door or a street lamp?"

Harry heard someone snort at the other side, but all his focus was on the blond woman, as he revealed the actions of the man she so easily defended, "Do you know what he did to that woman after he captured her? Tied her up in the attic, in the same building he lived. Interrogated and tortured her on a daily basis. She was barely alive when I found her and guess who was in the same room, just about to begin his own little experiment?"

"No…" Andrea breathed out in denial and looked towards Milton, who had become even more pale by now.

"Guess he didn't tell you about the hobby of your best friend _Phil_, huh? Wonder what else he knows or hides?" Harry pointed out mockingly.

"Milton, is it… is it," Andrea stammered. "Did you know?"

Everyone looked at the man who gulped nervously pushed his glasses back. "I- I- I didn't know about the two people from your group, until after the attack. Philip didn't tell me about them."

"What about the woman? Or the other people?" Andrea pressed on, when Milton stopped talking.

"I… I didn't know about them or her until after she was of relevance for me to know."

"What do you mean?" Andrea asked confused.

"After Philip found out that she was a scientist, he informed me about her. I met her later and… and treated to her injuries."

Milton glanced away from Andrea and directly at Harry, looking guilty. "I tried to reason with him, but he was… focused on getting the formula. I tried to convince Dr. Granger to just give it to him, but she wouldn't say anything. I'm sure that he would have stopped as soon as she had cooperated. Philip had good intentions and-"

"Good intentions?" Harry hissed and cut in the man's rambling. "_Good intentions?! _Beating and letting an undead bite her to see if the serum works are _good bloody intentions?!_" Without any warning, Harry marched towards the man and raised his gun at the Milton who cowered in fear, when sudden pair of arms restrained him, which for some reason he knew was Daryl.

"BEATING A WOMAN ARE GOOD FUCKING INTENTIONS?!" Harry shouted, completely enraged at the man before him, who took several more steps back, until he was with his back to the wall, shaking from head to toe. A great part of him was satisfied by the reaction he had on the man. Daryl tried to calm him down, but he barely registered the words in his anger.

"I-I-I didn't m-mean it that way," Milton stuttered in fear.

"YOU WERE ABOUT TO FUCKING EXPERIMENTING ON HER, YOU ROTTEN ASS-SHIT! DID YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE TO HER? TELL ME!"

"N-no, no, I didn't, I swear! I-I never wanted to do this," Milton answered shakily. The revelation calmed Harry a little and he stopped struggling in Daryl's arms, but didn't let go of him. The slightly taller man, kept a firm grip on Harry, as he breathed heavily.

Milton took a moment before he tried to explain, "I- I- tried to stop him, but he- Philip, wanted the formula no matter what. I-I tried to reason with Dr. Granger. I never… I never wanted to hurt her. I'm… I'm sorry."

"He's tellin' the truth," Merle spoke up. "Never did somethin' to kitten. Just treated her wounds."

"Did you know about this?" Harry asked Merle angrily.

"No. Heard it the first time. Woulda have stopped it," Merle admitted tightly and for some reason, he believed the man.

Harry calmed down afterwards, telling himself that nothing like that had happened to her. Even though he had known from Hermione and Merle that the Governor was the only one who had hurt Hermione, it didn't stop him for being still suspicious of the information. Hermione tend to leave things out, in order not to worry him and Harry didn't know Merle good enough to trust him.

"You good now?" Daryl asked gently close to his ear. Just then he realized how close he was to the man, which made his heart oddly skip a beat. Harry swallowed and nodded silently at Daryl, who slowly let his arms around Harry fall, but otherwise didn't move away.

Everyone stared at either Andrea or Milton, not attempting to break the growing silence, until Milton asked nervously, "Is- is Dr. Granger all right?"

"That's none of your damn business!" Harry snapped harshly at the man, while making it clear to the others that the topic of Hermione was taboo. The last thing he wanted to reveal to them was Hermione's condition or anything else.

"Who is this Dr. Granger and why did Philip want from her? What is this formula?" Andrea asked sounding a little jealous. She ignored Harry, as she turned towards Rick and the others. Daryl must have sensed Harry's growing anger again, as he placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

This time Rick spoke up not hiding his own anger at the topic, "I'm sure your new friends can tell you all about it."

Andrea scoffed in disbelief for being denied an answer, looking around until she spotted Michonne and rounded on her, "What have you told them?"

Michonne cooly shrugged and said, "Nothing."

"I don't get it," Andrea began, looked at her old group with complete bewilderment. "I left Atlanta with you people, and now I'm the odd man out?"

"He almost killed Michonne too," Glenn argued back, "and he would have killed us as well."

"With his finger on the trigger," Andrea said pointed at Merle. "Isn't he the one who kidnapped you, who beat you?"

"So you do know about it after all," Harry focused back on Andrea, questioning her honesty. "Even though you said you didn't know about it. Were you aware of the prisoners held at Woodbury?"

"What? No!"

"Then how the bloody hell do you know about it?" Harry barked out. He wanted to step closer to the woman, but Daryl's grip on his shoulder tightened at that moment, halting him in his steps.

Everyone looked equally confused about this, but Andrea didn't seem to want to answer the question.

Harry pressed on. Years of being an Auror and interrogating criminals had flared up his instincts further.

"Whose side are you really on?" Harry pushed further. "You held a gun pointed at the woman who helped you survive in the long months and you betrayed her for a self-proclaimed Governor, who collected heads, killed and tortured for fun and now you come here to defend him? And oddly knew about Merle's involvement in it?"

Andrea looked more upset, as she rounded on Rick and asked, "Why do you let some stranger talk to me like that? We were friends, family even!"

"He is part of us," Daryl spoke up next to him. "Our family."

Harry's heart skipped another beat at the declaration and he wanted to turn around and look at him, but he forced himself to stay focused on the blond woman instead. Now wasn't the time to figure out why he felt the way he did.

"He risked his life and helped us get our people out from boyfriend, who planned to kill them." Rick said matter of factly. "Now answer the question."

Andrea shook her head, before she spoke up, "After seeing Daryl and Merle in the arena, I figured out that the group, who attacked us, were you guys. Especially, when I saw you, him and Maggie came to… get Daryl and Merle out of there. Philip told me later who he had captured and Merle's part in it. I found out about this later, after everything was over."

She then rounded on Harry and glared at him and continued angrily, "And I didn't betray Michonne! I didn't know what to think when I came at his place and saw him and Michonne fighting. She was about to kill him and I reacted. I didn't know about the heads in the tanks or the reason behind the attacks."

Andrea sighs and took a moment to collect herself. She took a deep breath and revealed, "Look, I cannot excuse or explain what Philip has done. But I am here trying to bring us together. We have to work this out."

"There is nothing to work out," Rick stated matter of factly, "We're gonna kill him. I don't know how or when, but we will."

Harry couldn't believe the nativity and stupidity of the woman. How could she even think that there could be anything to fix this.

"We can settle this," Andrea insisted stubbornly. "There is room at Woodbury for- for all of you."

Glenn snorted at her words and Harry just scoffed at the woman. He understood where she was coming from, but when someone crossed a line, there was no way back from it. And this Governor did cross a line and as Rick stated, this bastard would die one way or another.

Merle chuckled before he commented, "Ya know better than tha'."

"What makes you think this man wants to negotiate? Did he say that?" Hershel asked calmly.

"No," Andrea admitted as she rubbed her forehead in frustration.

"Then why did you come here?" Rick demanded.

"Because he's gearing up for war!" Andrea revealed hurriedly.

Harry's eyes narrowed at Andrea and the quiet Milton. He noted that several people looked worried about the information.

"The people are terrified," Andrea informed them, "They see you as killers. They're training to attack."

"I'll tell you what," Daryl spoke up next to Harry. "Next time you see Philip, you tell him I'm gonna take his other eye."

Daryl's words and determination seemed to have calmed and boosted the group's determination.

"We've taken too much shit for too long," Glenn added bravely. "He wants a war? He's got one."

Andrea turned towards Rick with a pleading look, trying to make him understand, "Rick. If you don't sit down and try to work this out, I don't know what's gonna happen. He has a whole town."

"And we have the experience and strength, he is lacking," Harry cut in. Not mentioning the magic on his side.

Andrea just scoffed and shook her head, before she looked at them with pity and pleaded with them, "Look at you. You've lost so much already. You can't stand alone anymore."

"You want to make this right, get us inside," Rick suggested to Andrea. "We will protect those who don't fight and chose us."

"No."

"Then we got nothing to talk about," Rick concluded and walked away from Andrea.

"There are innocent people," Andrea explained, which made Rick turn around and glare at him.

"What about us? Aren't we worth protecting?" Rick demanded angrily.

Just as Andrea opened her mouth to say something, she was interrupted by Jon's voice calling for 'Daddy' as he rushed out of the cell block. As soon as he was in sight, he drew all eyes on him, which the toddler noted and stopped in his tracks shyly. Harry turned around swiftly, put his gun away, crossed the distance between Jon and himself, before he picked the little toddler up. He had already happily raised his arms up, as soon as Harry was close and as soon as Jon was in his arm, Harry placed a kiss on his chubby cheek. Harry asked him gently what he was doing here, while he walked back into the cell block, without saying anything to the others. Harry didn't want Andrea or Milton to see more of his family than was needed.

"Shouldn't you be with mummy?" Harry asked as he walked towards their cell room.

"Mama hmhay Taddy owie," Jon tried to explain, pronouncing the 'T' loudly while he still couldn't seem to grasp the following letter in Teddy's name. Harry smiled at him and let the toddler speak, "Taddy no up," Jon concluded, while popping the 'P' at his last word. He shrugged with his shoulders and raised both hands up in confusion.

Harry nodded at Oscar who sat next to the, what appeared to be an empty table where the cauldron had been earlier. He guessed that Hermione must have cast a Disillusion spell around the area. Oscar's shoulder was still in bandage and he looked quite tired as well.

"Yes, Teddy has owie and needs to sleep to get better," Harry explained calmly as he walked inside the room where Teddy and Hermione were. Judith had been also in the room, which Hermione was feeding with a baby formula bottle.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I tried to keep Jon here, but the little rascal wanted you," Hermione scolded with a smile, which made Jon giggle and hid his face in Harry's shoulder. Harry rubbed his back gently, while he smiled. It calmed him a little, holding Jon.

Harry took a seat next to a sleeping Teddy on the enlarged bed. He knew that Teddy was in a healing sleep, but it didn't stop him from worrying.

"Teddy's getting better," Hermione stated after a moment. "Is… everything alright there? I- I could hear about the two people, until I put a _Silencio _in this room, when things became louder. Didn't want to upset Judith and Jon."

Harry gave her an apologizing smile and assured her, "We got things under control. I will explain everything later to you."

Hermione nodded in understanding and didn't push him for more. Harry gave Jon his magical stuffed dragon to play with, as he placed him on the bed next to Teddy. Jon immediately played with the toy, tickling it to make the dragon move or fly close to him.

Harry turned towards his friend, after making sure he was occupied enough for a time being and asked, "Hermione, do we still have some viable _Veritaserum_ and the antidote to it?" Harry knew that Hermione always created antidotes to any potion that could have it.

She looked back at Harry with a frown, and said, "Yes, we still have three flask a piece of them. They should be still in a good condition."

Harry nodded and went for Hermione's beaded bag and _Accio_-ed the said two potion vials out.

"Why do you need it?" Hermione asked, while she removed the now empty baby bottle away and wiped Judith's mouth with a cloth.

"Want to get some answers," was all Harry said, as he watched Hermione place Judith on her shoulder, after she put a napkin on it, and gently rubbed the babies back.

Rick suddenly appeared looking a little worried, until his eyes settled on Judith. He visibly calmed down at the scene and thanked Hermione for watching over his daughter. Harry knew how Rick must feel, the need for assurance that the kids were safe.

After a moment, Harry took Rick aside and let him on the plan he had, "I want to interrogate Milton. He is close to the Governor and I think he can give us information about the man."

Rick nodded in agreement, just as Daryl and Glenn joined them. Harry explained further by showing them the two vials. "This is a Truth Serum. Anyone who takes this will be forced to say only the truth and reveal any secrets they might have. It's safe for magical and non-magical people to use them and it lasts for two hours, if not given the Antidote, that is… I think Milton knows much more than he intents to reveal… Afterwards, I will erase his memory once we get his answers. He won't be able to tell the Governor what we did or what he has told us."

"Let's do this," Glenn answered immediately. "Andrea is outside with Michonne and Milton is with Hershel and Merle where we left them."

Rick looked a little wary, but in the end decided to go with it. He let Maggie know what they were planning to do, in order to keep an eye on Andrea and Michonne.

Harry walked out with Rick, Glenn and Daryl and without warning, pulled out his wand cast a Binding Spell on a shocked Milton, which bound him to the chair. He spluttered in shock, wanting to know what's going on. Merle and Hershel looked equally surprised at the sudden display of magic, but Harry ignored them as he cast another spell to open Milton's mouth. Harry quickly gave him three drops of the Veritaserum and everyone could see the immediate change in the man's posture.

Milton looked calm and relaxed, staring into nothing.

"It's workin?" Daryl asked, after he explained to Merle and Hershel what they were doing.

"Yes, it's working. State your full name, age, profession," Harry ordered just to be sure that the potion was working.

"My name is Milton Mamet, I'm 33 years old, and my job in Woodbury is it to monitor the situation within the town, and an uncredited scientist who experiments with the biters to find a cure to regenerate the full human function within them, by understanding the behavioral patterns of the biters. Before the outbreak, I had a job at a telecommunication company in the STS section," Milton explained in a monotonous voice.

"That's freaky," Glenn exclaimed.

"It's working," Harry stated simply and turned to Rick and the others. "Ask him what you want."

They only nodded and began to ask him all kind of questions about the Governor, his forces, weapon arsenal, layout of Woodbury. They had all the information they needed when Maggie came to let them know that Andrea and Michonne were heading back. Harry quickly gave him the antidote, before he Obliviated the last thirty minutes of his mind and replaced them with another spell, which would give the man the belief that he had kept talking with Hershel and Merle. A standard Mind Erasing and Replacing procedure that the Aurors did on muggles, whenever they had witnessed some magical event.

Glenn and Maggie walked back into their cell block, while the others stayed behind, when Andrea and Michonne returned. The tension between them quite clear.

Harry, Glenn and Rick stood the furthest away from the people, as Harry informed them, "Before they leave, I will cast a mind spell that will erase the certain state of the prison. Make them believe that we are still repairing the fences and that it wasn't quite safe around here. It's better not to reveal everything from us. It gives us the upper hand to fight against him." He left out that he also wanted to erase the knowledge of Jon from their minds. He didn't want anyone to know about his family.

"Will it hurt them? Cause damage?" Rick asked, while he watched the others in the group.

"No. I've done it several times in my line of work and it's safe. Non-magical people, who have witnessed magical situations, will have no knowledge of my world, their mind gets altered to believe that they had either a freak accident, seen something normal, a filming spot and so on."

"Alright, sounds good," Rick agreed in the end.

They saw how Andrea and Carol talked together, until the short haired woman walked towards them and asked Rick, if she could show Judith to Andrea. The Sheriff had only hesitantly accepted the suggestion, before he went back inside their cell block to get his daughter. Harry and Daryl stood side by side at the entrance of their cell block and observed the group, while they quietly pondered about the information they had on the Governor.

* * *

**21****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

It had been hours since Andrea and Milton Mamet had left the prison, with a car Rick's group had provided.

Harry had later explained about the things that happened, Milton's confession under the Veritaserum and his involvement with the Governor. How he had planed to find out about the group, number of people, layout of the prison, strength and weak spots and that the Governor was testing Andrea's loyalty to him and several other things on how the Governor operated, especially with the way he used the undead for his own purpose, be it for entertainment value or for his offensive tactical move.

Hermione hadn't been surprised at the information. During the days she was held hostage at Woodbury, the Governor revealed himself as the worst kind of human. She was just glad, that he didn't know any magic, which could have made things a lot more difficult and dangerous. From what Harry had found out, the Governor believed them to have special and advanced weapons at their arsenal.

"Are you ok?" Carol's voice spoke next to her, as they poured the finished potions into the labeled vials.

Hermione smiled at the woman next to her and said, "Yes, sorry. It's just… I can't believe what we went through today."

"We survived another day. That is good," Carol said gently next to her.

"Yes, we did," Hermione agreed solemnly.

"Why didn't your friend, Andrea stay?" Hermione asked, which had puzzled her the moment she heard had been told that Andrea had been originally from this group, and yet, despite the history with them, had left anyway.

"She tries to help."

"You don't sound so sure that she will be able to do it," Hermione spoke honestly.

"Sometimes you have to do what's needs to be done, even if it's something terrible. She has the means and the opportunity, all she needs right now is the intent. And everything would stop."

Hermione quickly figured out Carol's cryptic words and stared at the woman silently. A few months, maybe even a few weeks ago, Hermione would have been appalled by this woman suggestion of righteously murdering someone, but having gone through the things she had in the last weeks, it put everything into a new perspective. While she had never purposefully killed someone, she was aware that one day, sooner or later, she would be faced with this situation and any hesitation or showing mercy to people who didn't deserve it, could be a deadly mistake.

The world hasn't been the same for over a year anymore and the rules have changed.

"Do you think she will do it?"

"No," Carol stated simply. "Andrea still holds to her morals, believing in the good of the people, even those who proved already that they are dangerous. She tries to help people and to find a way to solve problems… Maybe it's from being a civil rights attorney."

Hermione smiled sadly in return.

"Hopefully, I'm wrong and Andrea can find her courage to do what's needs to be done."

"Me too," Hermione agreed and handed over the last vials to Carol, who put the small box of muggle-based potions away.

Hermione quickly cleaned the cauldrons before she put them back into her beaded handbag, earning herself quite a few stares in the process. Even though many of them had seen her beaded handbag, it was still a startling moment for the group. Carol had already asked if Hermione could create for them something like that, which she had promised to do. It wasn't an easy set of magic, but with a little time, she would be able to recreate the magic for them.

Hermione slowly walked back into her cell room, to check on Teddy. To her surprise, she found Carl inside, sitting next to her sleeping godson. Jon was with Beth who played with the toddler by helping him paint in his coloring book.

"Is everything all right, Carl?" Hermione asked tentatively as she sat next to him on the bed, in where Teddy slept.

"I'm sorry," Carl suddenly said.

Hermione blinked in surprise. "What are you sorry for?"

"I… I should have stopped Teddy, when he was about to run to the father and son, but everything went so fast."

Hermione's heart went out to the young boy and she placed her hand on his shoulder, "Oh, Carl. This isn't your fault. No one could have known that this would happen."

"But I should have paid attention. He wanted to save those two and before I could do anything, to help give him cover or something, a bullet hit him and Teddy fell to the ground with the plate falling over him… I thought… I thought he died there."

Hermione felt her blood leave her face at the description. She couldn't even blame Teddy or anyone else, except for the shooter. She knew if she had been in the situation, she would have probably done something similar to protect others.

"I rushed towards him and dragged Teddy away, with the plate… don't know how I did it, actually," Carl confessed a bit confused before he shook his head at the memory. "And then you and his dad showed up."

Hermione took a deep breath and gently stroked Carl's back, trying to calm him down, "It's not your fault, Carl. You did help Teddy. You managed to drag him away and keep him safe until we came. Therefore, I need to thank you."

The boy looked up at Hermione, startled by her words, his eyes, so much like Rick's looked back at her surprised. Hermione smiled gently and said, "What you did was very brave and courageous. Not many would have been able to do that. You did help protecting him and for that Harry and I will be forever grateful to you."

Carl nodded before he blinked several times at her words. Hermione wordlessly pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly.

"It's ok, Carl. Teddy will be fine and up by tomorrow. In a day or two, he will be back to normal and completely healed."

Carl simply nodded into her shoulder and Hermione felt the spot getting a little wet, but kept silent, while she kept hugging the boy. It was horrible enough for an adult face this harsh world, where death was simply everywhere, but for a child, this was just something worse. Children should be protected, sheltered and not be forced to live in such circumstances. Forced to survive. But hopefully, things would be over soon.

* * *

**21****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry **

"Do you think that could work here?"

"I'm not sure, Harry," Hermione confessed. "From what I know is that strong wards need special constructions around the building and ground. Bill had once explained that there are specific runes, several layers of them in a specific order to hide and protect properties. Additionally, there needs to be at least one wardstone inside the property to support and strengthen the wards, like an anchor. The larger the area that needs to be warded, the bigger the wardstone or even several of them. Hence, why there are multiple wardstones in and around Hogwarts and Forbidden Forest. On top of that, it is also essential to know with what the building is made of. Limestone and bluestones are the more magical conductor and are able to store the magic within them. Raising wards for a place this large will also need quite a lot of magic. That's why it's so expensive and also time-consuming in the first place.

"I think it is for the best to talk with Bill first and get his opinion. He isn't a ward-crafter, but he knows, as a curse-breaker, quite a lot about protection spells and wards. Hopefully, he knows something about on non-magical properties and what protections we could apply here, or maybe there is someone who has extended knowledge about warding."

Harry nodded in agreement. He had visited the magical village called Upper Flagley in Yorkshire several times, before he had left to find Hermione. The place had been growing with new additions almost daily and was still gaining new people from time to time. There had been a handful of incidents where some wizards and witches tried to cause trouble within the village, but nothing too dangerous that couldn't be controlled in time. Besides the risks additional people could bring, there had been a few new members that could actually contribute to the town and make it work.

"I know that there are numerous wizards and witches who placed wards around the homes and certain areas of the villages. Maybe there is someone skilled enough to create permanent wards. I'll call Neville later and ask him about it and consult with Bill… who knows maybe there is even a Wardmaker at Neville's hometown."

Hermione smiled and leaned back in the chair to look at the group, outside their cell room. After a moment, she said in a calm voice that didn't hide the urgency in her voice, "We need to protect them, Harry. Help keep them safe."

"We will, Hermione," Harry agreed, as he felt the same about it. "I will try to convince Ford to send more soldiers to us, when I contact him in a few days. They wouldn't be of help to us yet, and it would only raise suspicious as to how I not only managed to be here, but also to have found you and the kids alive. I think contacting him in a week would be good enough. They should be here within the following 2-3 weeks though. Hopefully, by then we have solved the issue with this lunatic bastard and his followers."

He could see the frown on her face, before she shook it off and remained quiet. Her face became once more guarded again. Something he had noticed she had done after the rescue from Malfoy Manor and Bellatrix torture. She never wanted to talk about it, instead she just kept saying that she was fine and that it was over now. Back then, Harry didn't know how to handle or treat Hermione properly after that… and now, he didn't know what to say either. He never would have though in all of his life that Hermione would ever face someone like Bellatrix again and this time, he felt that this experience was even worse, compared to the mad witch… which only made him even more determinate to take his revenge on that bastard. This is the least he could do for his best friends.

Her sudden smile made him glance into the direction she was looking at, which brushed those gloomy thoughts away. They watched Jon, color painting with Beth and saw him give the blond teenager a color pen, while he smiled at her shyly. Beth in return, smiled brightly and kissed his cheek, which made Jon giggle happily, unknowing to him, made others around the smile at him in return, but then Jon repeated the gesture and gave her another color pen, which Beth took and gave him another kiss. Everyone by now in the cell block was watching the display. He could hear some people call the toddler a 'womanizer' or 'going to be a heartbreaker', which only lightened the atmosphere further. And after the day they had, it was a welcoming change.

"There are still ways to ensure their protection, Harry. We can create spelled items and potions, with which they could defend themselves with," Hermione spoke after a moment and pointing out the real problem they were all in. The threat to the prison and everyone in here.

Harry nodded at the idea and said, "That could help them, but they will need weapons too. And since we can't create them magically, not knowing how, Rick plans to go check out some place tomorrow."

Hermione nodded in understanding, before she turned looked back at him with worry and concern. "There is something I need to tell you Harry. It's about Carl."

* * *

**21****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

After Harry and Hermione charmed several hovering light balls around their cell block, since there was no other source of light available, beside the small window, Hermione waited nervously for Harry to return with Rick. Both had decided to give Rick the news together.

Just as she couldn't wait any longer, Harry returned with Rick. Hermione cast a privacy spell around their prison cell, to ensure their privacy, as long as no one entered the cell room.

"What's going on?" Rick asked, eying both of them with confusion.

Hermione looked at Harry, while bitting her lower lip nervously. She knew that she needed to tell Rick what she had seen and suspected ever since.

"During the attack, when Harry and I went out to help, we saw Teddy on the ground beside Carl," Hermione began from the beginning. She gulped nervously as she was still shaken from the ordeal. She instinctively glanced at the sleeping Teddy beside her, before she looked back at Rick and got straight to the point, "Carl picked up Teddy's wand from the ground. He was looking away when he did it. I don't think he saw it, probably no one did beside myself."

"Saw what?" Rick asked in a tight worried voice.

"The reaction of the wand the wand had the moment he touched it. It sent off a little spark," Hermione explained.

"And what is so special about it?" Rick cut in as he looked from her to Harry.

"A wand only reacts to magical people, Rick. It is not possible to find such reaction with non-magical people," Hermione concluded.

Rick stared in shock at them both, clearly loss for words.

Hermione quickly continued, trying to prove her theory, "Earlier, Carl talked to me and said that he had somehow been able to drag Teddy from near the stairs to the wall, while keeping the metal plate was in place. I think he expressed accidental magic. Something which happens to magical children who haven't controlled their magic and aren't in possession of a wand, which levels and helps us control our ability. Wands have different cores and also are made of different wood to-"

"Has Carl ever shown something like that?" Harry cut in, when he noted that Hermione began to ramble. "Something you couldn't explain? Did something you thought was only a fragment of your imagination?"

Rick stumbled to a chair having a far away look in his face, before he said, "I don't know if it was something like that, but when he was a child his play cars would change. He would have suddenly a completely different match of play cars. I thought Lori or Shane and brought him those without letting me know and I brushed it off."

Hermione smiled at the memory, remembering Teddy doing something similar with his own toys.

"That's an accidental magic for sure," Harry assured Rick.

"Carl also showed me his shot wound, after we talked. He pointed out that he and Teddy, along with you now have a batch of honor," Hermione continued. "The wound should have been fatal and I think that his magic helped him by keeping him alive, long enough to find help. Sometimes accidental magic help heals minor wounds, scratches almost instantly or quicker, even broken bones in some cases heal faster or appear to be only a sprain."

"As a child he fell from a bike and I thought he broke his arm, but when I went took him to a hospital there were only scratches. The doctor thought I was an overreacting parent," Rick said before he looked up at her. "You really think Carl is a…"

"A wizard, yes," Hermione concluded for him. "How old is Carl? When is his birthday?"

Rick frowned at the strange question, but answered it anyway, "He was born on October 15th, 1999."

Hermione quickly calculated in her mind and muttered, "That would explain it." At Rick's confusion, Hermione explained. "Magical Schools and Government inform non-magical parents only after the child reached a certain age and to meet the requirement, in order to be able to enter the wizarding society, which is at the age of eleven until September 1st every year. Carl's birthday is in October and therefore hasn't yet met the requirement to receive a letter from a magical school or get an introduction to the wizarding school. That would explain why you never found out about Carl being a wizard. He probably would have received a month before the terms of school, in July or August, depending on the state and government rule, but well… due to undead this stopped of course."

"How?" was all Rick could say, as he tried to comprehend what they were telling him.

"I assume your… deceased wife was also non-magical?" Harry asked gently.

"No. I mean yes," Rick sighed and pushed his hand through his hair clearly overwhelmed with the information. Hermione noted that his eyes had a guarded look as soon as Harry mentioned his wife. "She wasn't what you call a witch… even though she could have passed for one."

Harry snorted at the joke, but Hermione blinked in surprise, but stayed silent.

"But no, I have never seen her with a wand," Rick said and pointed at the one in Hermione's lab. "Or any other of those things you both had shown us. How can it be possible?"

"My parents were also non-magical, muggles, as the wizards tend to call them, which makes me in the eye of the society, a muggleborn. Harry is considered a half-blood wizard. His father comes from a long line of wizards and witches, which made them seen as purebloods, while his mother, like myself, was a muggleborn witch. Another fraction of the wizarding society are the squibs, non-magical children born from magical parents, who they tend to kick out of their family, hide or drop them off in non-magical orphans. Horrible, really," Hermione sighed leaving out the fact that these families _Obliviate_ their children and even in worse cases kill them. She shook her head, pushing those thoughts away and continued, "There are theories that muggleborn witches and wizards are the results of squibs and their descendants. That magic still found a way to emerge, after a period of regression, but that's another story."

Rick frowned deep in thought and Hermione looked a little worried at Harry.

"You alright, Rick?" Harry asked, when he didn't say anything.

Rick rubbed his eyes tiredly and said, "I was adopted by an old couple, when I was five. I don't remember anything before that. People told me that my parents had died in a car crash, which would explain why I couldn't recall them or anything else, besides my first name and waking up in that place. Could it be that…"

Rick couldn't seem to finish his question. Hermione's heart went to the man. Not knowing why you ended up without memories in an orphanage, must have been frightening, especially for a child.

"I'm sorry, but it looks like it," Harry took over, speaking calmly despite the angry look in his eyes. "Many old traditional wizarding families did this to their own children… Bloody idiots, the lot of them."

"Squibs aren't entirely without magic though, despite the popular belief," Hermione took over. "Some squibs also noted that they are more healthier, quick to heal or talented in certain areas. Like a deeper connection, understanding or even a feeling of certain things. Like to plants, animals, having instincts almost like a sensation, which couldn't be explained. It's the latent magic inside them, that helps guides them throughout their lives… Have you ever experienced something like that?"

Rick was in deep thoughts, before he said, "I'm not sure if this would be something like that… Before all these walkers came, I was shot during my line of work, which got me into a coma. I woke up alone in the hospital. Don't know how long though. I was mostly healed and the rest of my wound was mostly gone in a few days. I never really paid attention to it… I was more concerned and focused on finding my family… I knew… I just knew that they were still alive. There was just this feeling that I couldn't describe. It was like pull towards them."

Hermione nodded at him and said, "These are characteristics for it. I could do some tests, if you want to be absolutely sure, but I believe that you are from a magical family, Rick."

Rick exhaled heavily and rubbed his face in disbelief. Hermione could only imagine the shock he must be feeling and how his world must have turned upside down.

"We can help Carl," Harry offered. "Teach him spells to protect and defend himself. Things that will help him survive out there. Teddy is still taking lessons from Hermione and myself. We adjusted his classes and subjects in order to focus on what's important and what's needed to survive."

Before Rick could say anything, Daryl joined them by walking into the cell room, probably because he couldn't hear us outside the cell room.

"Y'all ok?"

"Yes, yes," Rick assured him quickly and said, "Carl is a wizard."

"Say, what?" Daryl exclaimed surprised, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Yes, my son is a wizard."

Daryl looked at Rick, then Hermione, Harry and then back to Rick and shrugged, "Could be useful. Protect himself and fight with his stick-"

"Wand," Harry corrected amusedly.

"Whatever. Wand or one of those magic soups-"

"Potions," Hermione corrected with a smile, while Harry snorted at Daryl's word.

"Yeah, whatever, potions then," Daryl said as his lips twitched into a smile, before he continued, "As long as he ain't turnin' my head into a pumpkin or changin' my hair… or any other body part, I'm good. I say, let the kid have his stick wavin' fun."

* * *

A/N: Yep, Carl is a wizard! I hope you liked the little surprise in the end and the little surprise visit from Andrea and Milton :)


	20. Chapter 19 - Building Trust

A/N: You guys are just amazing! Wish I could give you all a big hug for all the great reviews, and everyone else who put the story on their favorite, following or C2s lists. Thank you so much.

A big thank you goes to uoduck, who takes the time to beta read this story. You are the best!

So, this is a more happier chapter with a little group fluff, but there is still drama going on in this chapter. Ok, enough with the teasing… Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 19 - Building Trust**

* * *

**23****rd**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

"Are you sure, Rick? I could come with you," Harry offered, as he watched him get the car ready.

Daryl stood close to him, equally worried about the man.

"Carl could stay back, I'm aware that he knows how to use a gun, but it's not safe for a kid out there," Harry continued a little frustrated. The thought of a child joining him on a hunt for weapons made him worried.

Rick turned around and Harry could see how he clenched his teeth in frustration. Something, Harry noted was a habit of the man whenever he felt particular rilled at something or angry.

"What my son does or not, is my business," Rick said tightly before he took a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Carl needs to be prepared and be ready for the world outside of here. I won't let my son become weak or unprepared."

Harry's eyes narrowed and his shoulder's tightened at his words, "Are you saying my son is weak and that's why he got shot?"

"What? No, no, that's not what I…" Rick sighed and shook his head. "That's not what I was trying to say. Carl offered to come with me and I accepted it, because I need him to be prepared. I want him to survive… even if I'm not there anymore. I need him to become strong, independent and understand the world out there…. There is a chance that I won't survive this… the attack or something else. Who knows when you guys will go to create this NOVA cure. Even if you have done it, all the danger won't be miraculously gone. There will be still danger out there, be it human or walkers."

Harry nodded after a moment, accepting his words and even understanding him. He had blamed himself for Teddy's injuries, for letting him get hurt in the first place. Rick was right and Harry would have to prepare Teddy for a dangerous world as well.

"I still could come, give you another hand. Magic isn't the all around solution, but I can help, with or without magic. I've done-"

"No, I want you and everyone else to stay here. If they decide to attack us again, I want as many people here to protect our people and this place. I'll take Carl and Michonne, get a feel on her…need to know if she can be counted on. Tyreese and Sasha are already working and helping around the prison. They do look like honest people, but I want you both to keep an eye on them, and Daryl, make sure Merle doesn't cause problems with anyone."

"Got it," Daryl said as he nodded gently. Harry looked back at Daryl, who stood a little taller than himself beside him. He could see that the mention of Merle in such a way still irked him.

Harry looked back at Rick and sighed in defeat. "Fine. Do you have some sort of communication device to keep in contact? Just in case you need us."

"No, we don't."

"Alright, give me a moment. I will see what I can do," said Harry and without another word, he turned around and walked back inside.

He found Hermione with Teddy, who was sitting with the most of the people at a table. As he got closer, Hermione excused herself and walked towards Harry, looking worried and asked, "Is everything ok?"

"Yes. It's just Rick still insists on going. He's set on it. Bloody stubborn that man. However, the only thing we could do is find a way to contact us, if he needs help. Do you know anything that could help them to stay in contact with us?"

Hermione frowned a little, before she swiftly walked into her cell room and grabbed her beaded handbag. She swiftly opened it and put her whole arm inside, but then frustratingly pulled it away and grabbed her wand and called, "_Accio _Babyphones."

The bag shook a little until it spit out two familiar looking blue baby walkie-talkies, which brought him an instant smile on his face.

Hermione returned the smile, as she explained, "I had them actually in my other bag, for safekeeping when Teddy found them too 'baby-ish' a while back. Remember, how Teddy loved to talk to me over these things when I was away or at work? Merlin, still can't believe he's grown so fast."

Harry smiled fondly at the memory, and took the devices, who still had some magical stickers on them, and the name written 'Mi Mi' and 'Teddy-Bear'.

"They are still in a good condition and should work like they used to."

Harry's smile widened, before he pulled her into his arms and kissed on the forehead and said. "You are simply brilliant, Hermione. Simply brilliant."

He turned and left the cell block and was about to walk out, before he turned around, kissed a surprised Teddy's forehead who looked a little sheepish and another kiss on a squealing Jon, who smiled even further at the attention.

Harry quickly walked out and held two baby-phones up for Rick as soon as he reached them and asked, "Do you want Mi Mi or Teddy-Bear?"

Daryl snorted at Harry's words, and Rick only blinked in confusion.

* * *

**23****rd**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

Even though Teddy had been up and about, walking around and joking as if nothing had happened, Hermione still worried over him. She had already cast the Diagnostic Charm twice over him and assured herself that he was truly well and recovered. He would still need a few days to completely heal, without using any form of magic so that he wouldn't exhaust himself further, but as far as she knew, Teddy would make a full recovery… and yet, she couldn't help herself but keep an eye on him.

Harry had barely slept the previous night, as he sat on the transfigured chair next to Teddy. Even she hadn't been able to rest, despite being truly exhausted. Her injures still hurt and weren't completely healed, but she couldn't bring herself to rest.

In the end, both Harry and Hermione had transfigured a comfortable L-shaped sofa that took over the rest of the space in the small prison cell and dosed on and off the whole night. Jon was content to sleep next to Teddy, cuddling against his uninjured side.

It was before dawn that Teddy had finally woken up, waking Jon in the process, who in return called out the teenager's name happily, which woke up both, Harry and herself. Before Hermione could even move, Harry almost flew out of his chair and pulled Teddy into his arms, followed by Jon, muttering things Hermione couldn't make out, while Harry blinked furiously.

It had been a tiring, but a relieving morning.

"Teddy, rest a little. You shouldn't be walking around," Hermione scolded gently, as she fed Jon an apple, which she had stored in her beaded handbag and put under a stasis charm a while ago. They still had a few bottles of water, some dried foods and protein bars in their bags.

Her eyes glanced at the sliced fruit on the table. It had been given to her by Walter, when they had found an apple tree in one of the abandoned house's backyard, a few days after they had left Fort Polk. There were only a few apples left on the tree and Walter had insisted that she take them for Jon and Teddy. The other soldiers didn't object to that and made sure that she got a handful of the fruit, which she had put in her's and Teddy's backpack. It was the last apple now. A sad feeling settled onto her remembering all those who had lost their lives. She couldn't help wonder how Seth, Walter's son, handled the news of his father. She hadn't asked Harry yet. A part of her was afraid to do so. Walter and Seth had a very close father and son relationship, something many people at the military base had actually admired… she could only imagine how the news of his father's death must have been devastated him.

"I'm fine, Aunt Mione, really," assured Teddy, getting Hermione's attention. She pushed those thoughts and feelings away and focused on her godson. Looking back at him, she could clearly see that something was bothering him and therefore Hermione only raised an eyebrow in response at the teenager, silently telling him to continue, which he did after he sighed, "I just worry about Carl, that's all."

Hermione smiled gently, "He will be fine. If something happens, your dad will go to them."

Teddy nodded in understanding, before he frowned and said, "Maybe I should have given him my wand. Just in case."

"Carl wouldn't know what to do with it, Teddy. His magic isn't strong enough to properly defend himself. Not yet anyway."

Teddy nodded, as he finally sat next to her, before he grinned excitingly and exclaimed, "Still can't believe Carl is a wizard!? It's just brilliant! Now I can teach him all the pranks and spells Uncle George showed me and all the other cool things."

Hermione smiled at Teddy's excitement, as he rambled on about the things he wanted to show and teach him. But Hermione knew that it wouldn't as easy as Teddy believed it to be. First, Carl would need a wand that properly worked for him, which would be properly the hardest thing to do. Afterwards, Harry and herself would need to see how strong his magic was, figure out a way to teach him only the essential spells and charms, while building up his magical core and strength in order to be able to cast powerful magic. And time was not something they truly had on their side.

Especially, when the time came to leave for Washington, which could be in a few weeks, after Harry made the call to Fort Polk in the next days.

Hermione didn't voice out her concerns or worries and simply listened to Teddy's plans. They were soon joined by Beth and Sasha asking more about the magical joke items he mentioned. Even Jon who kept munching on the thin sliced apple, while he looked excitingly at everything.

* * *

**23****rd**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

Daryl walked next to Harry as they checked out the wards at fences. Harry could have done the work by himself, which he told Daryl, but the man wouldn't hear of it. Harry glanced sideways at Daryl, wondering not for the first time, why he felt he could trust him. Harry wasn't someone who could easily believe or put his fate in someone, but there was just something about Daryl that made him go with his instinct and trust him.

"And you're sure it'll work? Writing that stuff up on stones?" Daryl asked, after Harry explained the new approach to protect the prison.

"Yes… Hermione talked with someone from my home. He is an expert in breaking curses, but also knows how to take protective measures, in case things would become dangerous. We plan to talk to an expert on warding later, but from what Hermione had found out in her books, is that writing certain runes on specific stones aligned around the complete prison facility and with the right spell, which Hermione and I will perform, we will be able to create stronger wards. It will be like a magical translucent wall. It's not the most powerful form of warding magic, but it's still strong enough to protect this place. The wards I've placed around here won't hold forever and aren't that strong. During an attack they can without and hold up for an hour or a few maybe, depending on how strong the attack is and to keep them up its peak, I need to strengthen them at least once a day or they fall."

"That's why you're re-doin' them now," Daryl concluded, understanding why it was necessary to find a better solution.

Harry nodded, before he stopped turned towards the fence and cast another layer of ward. "I'm not an expert in warding and only know the basics, but Hermione told me that rune wards can hold much longer than simply casted wards. They can hold for months, maybe a year if not longer, depending on the stones, the runes that are carved into the stone and what type of wards are placed. The one she has in mind would also be invisible to the eye, which is a good thing too."

Daryl nodded next to him and Harry could feel his eyes on him as he cast another layer of magic on the ward.

"Then how will ya both know if they it's still up? The wards I mean, since they are all invisible."

Harry looked back at him and was a little surprised at the attention he paid to what he had said and a little impressed as well.

"Another rune stone will be with us at all time. It's like an alarm system if you want to call it. From what Hermione told me, this one will constantly glow when the wards are up and strong. If for instance, some of the ward areas gets weaker, we will see it on that stone, it will fade and flicker, which would tell us that something is wrong. If the wards fall, the light would go out completely."

Daryl nodded in understanding, as both walked silently a little further away, until Harry could cast the next spell.

"When do you think you both can do it?"

"Not sure. Hermione is still researching and consulting with a few people on the runes, the layout, spells and what type of stones we would need… So a few days maybe. Hopefully, we'll find them around here," Harry explained. He knew that if they didn't find those specific stones around here, that he would have to ask Neville or Professor McGonagall to send those stones here, but that would be the last resort for them. Harry didn't want to rely completely on Professor McGonagall or Shacklebolt. He would try to find a solution by himself and then and only if he failed to find anything, would ask for help. The situation with the Governor didn't make things easier either. Harry knew that as long as the Governor was in the picture, posing a threat to this group, that it would be much harder to work on the security and find the stones.

"You trust Hermione a lot, don'cha?" Daryl asked after a moment of silence, which made Harry glance back at him, a little confused at the strange question and not understanding the strange tone in his voice, but answered anyway, "I trust her with my life. Hermione saved me more than I can count."

"And you two never… hooked up?"

Harry chuckled at the thought and shook his head. He smiled when his thought turned to Hermione, "No, absolutely not. As I said before, Hermione is like my sister to me, my best friend. She kept mothering me throughout the school years, telling me to do my homework and fixed my clothes. She even repaired my glasses the first day I've met her on the train. She always put it upon herself to… take care of myself and Ron." At his confused look he explained more quietly as his smiled dropped, "He was my other best friend who died… Anyway, Hermione… she never gave up on me though, even when I was an arse to her at some point or refused to take her advice, which had been most of the time always right. She is the most loyal person I've ever met… and I don't know what I would do if I lost her as well… She is my family, as are Teddy and Jon."

They walked in silence, until Daryl said after a moment, "Family is important, I get tha'."

Harry smiled at him and was about to ask Daryl about Merle, when suddenly the baby-phone in his back pocket gave of a static sound before someone spoke,_ "Mi Mi here, anyone there?"_ It sounded like Carl's voice.

"Teddy Bear here," Harry said and activated the baby-phone connection, which made Daryl chuckle in return. "Are you lot alright?"

_"Yeah, dad said to let you know that we are on our way back. Should be there in about 2 to 3 hours."_

"Any problems on the way, Carl?"

_"No, all's good. But we're bring someone with us. Seems ok."_

Daryl frowned at the information, which Harry could only share. "All right. Stay safe and if you need help or are in danger, let us know."

"_Will do, Harry. See you later. Over and out, Mi Mi,_" Carl said and closed the microphone out, which still made it possible to Carl to hear him.

"See you soon, Carl," Harry said and spoke the code word to deactivate the baby-phone, "Over and out Teddy Bear."

Daryl's frown was still in place as he stated, "I'm sure they had a reason to bring someone with them."

Harry nodded before he replied, "Probably. Either way, I will get a feeling of him when they return."

"Rick wouldn't pick up a guy who could be dangerous to us. He ain't that stupid," promised Daryl and Harry just hoped he was right about it.

Both returned silently back to their work, wanting to finish the wards, before they informed the others of Rick's return. Harry was glad that Rick was open to help others, something he could relate to, but came to realize how dangerous it could be if shelter was given to someone dangerous. The line between what is right and wrong and who is good or bad had became increasingly blurry.

* * *

**23****rd**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

"I don't know when the last time I sat on a couch was," said Sasha, a pretty Afro-American woman, who sighed in delight and snuggled further into the chair that had been placed against the wall side in the corridor of their cell block. "This feels so good, I could sit here all day long. God, I love magic! Wished I could do that."

"She would magic herself all weird things, like nail polish and make-up and such things," Tyreese teased his sister who protested in mock outrage, which made Hermione and Hershel chuckle. Hermione sat between Sasha and Hershel, with Jon in her lab, while Tyrese sat on another smaller couch next to his sister.

Jon said some random baby words that made either absolute no sense or were the only few words he knew how to speak. He was currently telling something to Hermione about the magical baby book in her hand, which was charmed to give off colorful lights and low-level sounds of animals. Hermione explained each color on the page and asked Jon then to point her the specific color she had mentioned.

Hermione knew she was a sucker for eduction and knowledge. It was important to her and she would make sure that Jon and Teddy, would still learn something. Teddy was currently reading a book on Magical Protections and Shields, something he did quite willingly, which wasn't always the case.

"Your son is absolutely handsome," Sasha spoke next to her, which made Hermione turn around and smile proudly at the woman.

As if knowing they were talking about him, Jon turned around and smiled shyly at the woman before burying himself in Hermione's chest, which made everyone else around them laugh at the display. Hermione kissed his forehead and rubbed his back soothingly.

"Can he do magic, too? When do kids get their magic, or can use them?" Sasha asked next curiously.

"Oh, uhm… Jon isn't magical."

"Oh, is that possible?"

"Sasha," Tyreese scolded his sister.

"No, it's fine," Hermione cut in, and explained, "It is possible for magical parents to have non-magical children, or more accurately called squibs, because they do have some magic, but not enough to be considered a witch or wizard. Their magic is too weak, almost non-existent compared to a witch or wizard. A magical child shows signs of magic between the age of five until eleven. Jon is not magical, though."

Jon looked up at Hermione as soon as he heard his name and smiled brightly, which made Hermione bend down and pepper him with kisses. Jon giggled in delight.

"I don't understand," Sasha said confused, "you just said that a child shows magic until the age of eleven, how can you know that Jon isn't a wizard too?"

Hermione looked towards the woman and explained, "There are spells to determine if a child has a magical core, it's like a magical base within your body, similar to an aura. A squib, or any magical child and adult of course, have such a core within them. Jon doesn't have it, because he isn't my… biological child."

Sasha and Tyreese blinked in understanding.

"Your adopted him?" Hershel asked from her other side, which made her look at him.

"Yes and no," Hermione answered truthfully, as she stroked Jon's soft dark brown hair. "In the beginning, when everything broke out, I was alone in Louisiana attending a conference, I couldn't travel back to England nor could I take any flights out of the State. In the upcoming days after the global wide outbreak and… difficulties I've faced, I made my way to a military base, where I could find shelter and maybe brought to a facility where I could work on the unknown disease that was responsible for these uncontrollable outbreaks and find a solution. During my journey there, I… came upon a woman and a baby. I heard Jon cries first though… There were in a tough spot and I helped them. The woman, Jon's mother, she was bitten and tried to find a safe place for her son to survive, looking for people to take him in. She didn't have anyone left. Her husband had died in a war months before the outbreak. I… I promised her that I would take care of her baby… which I did since then."

"That's a noble thing to do," Hershel said after a moment of silence.

Hermione shook her head and said, "Anyone would have done it."

"Maybe," Hershel replied gently. "But many would have simply given the child away, once they've reached the safety. I'm sure you could have given the boy to another family at the military base and yet you didn't."

Hermione's heart picked up its speed at the thought of giving Jon away. She unconsciously tightened her hold on Jon, who leaned back into Hermione.

"I couldn't have done that," admitted Hermione gently. Even if she hadn't given birth to Jon, he was her son. She didn't care if he was magical or not, Jon was hers and that's it.

"I bet he will be a ladies man when he grows up," Sasha spoke teasingly and tipped his nose affectionally, which made Jon smiled up at her with his wide blue eyes. "Oh, a heartbreaker alright."

Everyone smiled or laughed at the display and made several people turn towards them with a smile. It was a calm around the prison, despite the looming danger. Harry and Daryl where outside, reapplying the fences and looking out, Oscar was sitting outside before their cell block with Merle and Axel, which for some reason had surprised a few people, including his brother. Beth stayed with her sister, while Carol fed Judith, who had woken up half an hour ago. Glenn wandered around the prison for some reason. Coming and going from the cell block, checking the corridors and looking for any weak spots outside the prison building.

He walked back inside their cell block towards the stairs, when Jon pointed his finger at Glenn and said, "Mama humma owie."

Hermione frowned at the Asian boy, who still had a bruised and swollen face. Apparently, he refused any sort of treatment, be it magical or muggle and only did the barest thing of disinfecting the wounds when Hershel insisted. Harry had told her later on that it was because of some sort of self-punishment for what the Governor did to his girlfriend and himself.

"Yes, Glenn has still his owie," Hermione gently confirmed with a frown.

After a moment, she turned towards Hershel and asked,, "What's his last name?"

"Glenn Rhee, why?"

"Cause I'm going to give him a scolding before I treat his wounds," Hermione said with a firm voice, before she spoke gently to Jon, "Mummy will go make Glenn's owie away. So there is no more owie." She placed him in Sasha's arms after she kissed him once more.

"No owie," Jon stated.

"That's my smart little boy," Hermione said proudly, before slowly stood up, ignoring the still lingering aches in her chest as she _Accio_-ed her beaded handbag from the room, which caused several heads to turn towards her.

She glared at Glenn and said, "Glenn Rhee, I know we barely know each other, but I am sick of seeing your beaded bruised and swollen face, bearing the colors of a rainbow as if a drunken Troll used you for target practicing and that's saying a lot since I've had an encounter with one when I was eleven."

"What?" Glenn asked confused and a little intimidated, as Hermione stood before him, which she was partly glad of. Glenn was almost a head taller than her, which didn't stop Hermione from standing tall and glaring at him. By now everyone stopped doing whatever they did and were watching them.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Glenn as she snapped in irritation, "My son, keeps pointing out that you are hurt and I refuse to let him see you like this anymore. He has seen enough injured people. I will heal your face and you won't object about it. Either you sit on your own free will, Glenn Rhee, or so help me, I will make you and you won't like how I will do it."

Glenn blinked quickly, opening and closing his mouth several times, that made Hermione narrow his eyes at him until Teddy commented, "I would do what she said, mate. She used the full name, that's never a good sign."

Hermione turned around and glared at her godson, whose smile immediately dropped and quickly went back inside the cell room.

Hermione faced the Asian boy again and asked, "So, what will it be?"

Glenn gulped and looked around nervously, before he met her eyes and answered nervously, "I'll… I'll sit?" He quickly sat on the stairs, which lead to the second level in their cell block.

Hermione smiled satisfied with the answer and said, "Good decision." She patted his face gently and almost felt guilty, when Glenn winced in pain. Almost.

"You should have healed this days ago, Glenn," Hermione scolded a little, as she pulled out a bottle and a thin star shaped can. "Who knows what kind of long term damage this could have caused. Did Harry check you for any head trauma?"

"No, I… Hershel looked me over when we returned," Glenn said tightly. "I didn't… I couldn't." Glenn couldn't seam to find the right words to finish his thoughts, but Hermione could guess what the issue was.

Hermione sighed a little before she spoke calmly and so only he could hear her, "I know how you feel… being defenseless and helpless to stop… things from happening, but this is not your fault, Glenn."

Glenn frown and his face tightened in anger, "But I should have been able to do that, I should-"

"I had magic on my side and I couldn't do anything, Glenn," Hermione cut him off letting her own anger and frustration show. "Don't you think I don't keep thinking about all the things I could have done differently? I sent my children away, not knowing if I would ever see them again. It… it made me… I felt like a failure, weak and stupid for letting my guard down."

The anger left Glenn's eyes almost immediately, and was replaced with the same feeling Hermione shared. Helplessness and regret.

"Keeping your face the way it is, battered and bruised, won't make things better, Glenn," Hermione spoke softly. "It won't change anything, except hurting you, which in the end is letting _him_ win and that's the last thing you should do."

Glenn nodded in understanding and let Hermione work on him.

"Good, now tell me where it hurts the most. Do you feel any dizziness or nausea? Difficult eyesight? Headaches?"

Hermione made quick work of Glenn's injuries that could mostly be healed with Star Grass Salve, which reduced the swellings and tissue damage. A little bit of Essence of Dittany was used to heal the cut on his eyebrow and the back of his head, which closed the small wounds instantly. Thankfully, there wasn't any permanent damage on his head or even chest, which had healed mostly, but given him the salve anywhere to apply it himself, or let his girlfriend do it, which earned her a blush from the Asian boy.

Glenn looked much better after Hermione was finished. She couldn't help, but pat his face affectionally afterwards. "Now you look all handsome again," Hermione said, which made the young man blush even more. Just then Hermione really noticed how young he must be. Probably just in his earlier twenties.

As Hermione walked back towards Jon, while she strapped her beaded handbag on her jeans, Maggie placed a hand on her arm, halting her for a moment. "Thank you," she said in relief.

From what Hermione was told, Maggie and Glenn were a couple, who had been distant ever since their return. Beth had explained that Maggie was upset for the way Glenn was acting and that it was a side of him, which Maggie didn't like. Hopefully, her interference had put some sense into Glenn and the couple would be able to overcome their obstacle.

"Your welcome, Maggie," Hermione responded with a smile of her own.

The atmosphere lightened up even further around the prison after healing Glenn, especially when Hermione went around and magically cleaned their cell block and the one Tyreese stayed with Sasha, Merle and Daryl. She couldn't remember how often she had cast the _Scourgify_ charm on the floor, walls and ceiling, until all the dirt, grime and dried up blood was completely removed and deemed it clean enough for even Jon to play or crawl around. Even the air smelled fresh, once everything was much cleaner.

Carol and Beth especially looked relieved at the help and thanked her profoundly. Hermione had offered to cast the Cleaning Spell on other things like clothes, dishes and pots. Well, more insisted actually, after they looked unsure to accept the offer. She could see how difficult it was for them to go day by day without having the basic needs covered. Cleaning, while it sounded mundane, was still something very important, especially for their survival. Therefore, Hermione cleaned the spare clothes and those they were even wearing, before she went and helped Carol and Beth with the small set up kitchen. She was completely exhausted afterwards.

It was a few hours later that Harry and Daryl walked back in and informed them that Rick and his group were returning, bringing also a new addition to the group. This had surprised many, but most of them just looked relieved at the news, except for a few who looked more worried, like Glenn and Merle.

When things calmed down, Hermione swiftly cast a quick _Sourgify_ charm over Harry then Daryl, cleaning clothes and themselves. Daryl looked completely taken aback for a moment before he thanked her almost shyly with a nod.

"We should make dinner. They will be hungry when they return," said Carol who stood up and went towards the little kitchen.

Hermione looked at the elderly woman with concern and asked, "Do you feel well enough to work, Carol?"

She smiled at Hermione and said, "I should ask you that, Hermione. But I'm fine, really. Barely feel any pain anymore."

Hermione nodded and went to help her, before she was told to sit by the short haired woman and when she explained to a confused Harry what Hermione had done in the last hours, he had made sure that Hermione sat on a chair nearby. Harry offered to help in the kitchen, while Oscar, Tyreese and Sasha went out to keep watch over the fences. Jon stayed happily with Hershel. Both seemed to enjoy each others company, especially Jon who sat on his lap and let the man read him a book. Maggie held Judith in her arms as she slowly walked around their cell block.

"Isn't there a kitchen at this place? We would have more space to prepare dinner," Hermione asked as she watched the little group gather around the small makeshift kitchen.

"Well, there is one," Beth answered for Carol as she joined them.

"But I wouldn' suggest goin' there," Axel said as he took the heavy pot from Carol's head, while he gave the woman a smile.

Hermione frowned in confusion. "Why?"

"Axel and Oscar were with two other inmates almost a year long inside the cafeteria, where the kitchen is also located," Carol went to explain with a hint of a smile at Axel, who looked sheepishly away. "And well, there was no bathroom, just a cool room."

Hermione cringed in disgust as she finally understand the reason why they avoided the kitchen. Several people laughed at that and even Harry looked sick at the information.

"Well, we will figure something later out about that," Hermione said hesitantly.

"Don't count me in," Harry immediately said and began to help as well. Hermione silently glared at her best friend.

"I mean it, Hermione. I won't go near that place," Harry insisted, half pleading half determined. Hermione just narrowed her eyes at him and chose not to say anything else. There would be time for that later.

Beth, Carol and Axel went about to get the few canned food out, when Harry's eyes suddenly widened.

"I can't believe I forget about that. Wait here," Harry spoke hurriedly as she darted into their cell room. Before Hermione could ask anything, Harry returned with his black backpack.

Everyone was looking at him in, when he explained, while opening his backpack, "On my way to find Hermione, I came across a small family who tried to get into a grocery store and were surrounded by the undead. So, I helped them and got them inside. The shop had been almost untouched and many things were there. At first I took a few supplies, not to raise suspicious as to why the shelves became suddenly empty. After the family left, though, I went back and… well… almost raided the place completely… and any other store I came across on my travel."

Everyone's eyes had widened when Harry pulled cans after cans of food out of his bag, placing them on the table and even Hermione was completely surprised and walked closer. There were all kind of different food there, canned vegetables, fruits, meat or spam as the label stated, stew, soups, followed by packages of rice, pasta, flour, even boxes of instant backing mixtures, sugar, spices, candy, chocolate, tea, coffee and sauces and so much more. Many of the food had years left before they expired. The canned fruits were the only one with a shorter lifespan, which could be prevented with a spell to prolong the expiry.

Everyone was speechless and delighted at the supplies and Carol pulled Harry immediately into a hug before she kissed his cheek, making him blush at the gesture.

"You amazing, amazing man. Thank you. Thank you so much."

Harry smiled sheepishly and scratched his head, as he said, "Your welcome. I… uh… have much more inside. Should I place them somewhere? A room maybe?"

Carol thought for a moment before she said, "Could you keep it inside your bag? With the situation we are in, I think it's best to keep safe in your bag. I will just take those supplies out and put them away that we would need in the next days."

Harry nodded in return and agreed with her, before Carol asked about what else he had and how much.

"My God, this will help us for weeks, maybe even months," she said while she looked at the supplies happily.

"Do you have any baby formula there?" Beth asked as she looked at the coffee milk powder.

"Sorry, no. Jon is already eating solid food and the family I met had a baby with them. I let them have all the baby formula."

"Maybe I can do something with the milk powder," Carol suggested, while she selected the supplies she would need for now to make dinner.

Hermione spoke up, next to Harry and offered, "I can ask someone to send dried baby formula to us, by magical means. I gave them to Jon as well and they are perfectly healthy. If you like, I can make sure that we get supplies of it. It would take a few days though."

Several people looked relieved at that. Carol quickly accepted the offer and Hermione promised to make the call later on.

"How does that magic transportation thing work?" asked Glenn as he looked over the food as well.

"It's a little difficult to explain," Hermione began, thinking for a moment of the best approach to explain it. "It's like teleportation from one place to another. Similar to what you have seen Harry do with himself. All types of teleportation have their space limits. Magical people can't apparate, which we call a human teleportation, from here to another state, without seriously injuring themselves or worse die from it. To travel long distances that way, you either use a portkey, which also has it's limit, or a floo network that let's you travel via fireplace or for very long distant, like from Britain to America, via travel-network from inside a Magical Traveling Department in a governmental building to another. I traveled that way when I came here before the outbreak and shut down all magical traveling ports. Harry here, used very old, almost outdated means to come to America, which was by a magical boat," Hermione haltered and looked back at Harry with a frown, before she asked him, "The boat's still in Louisiana, isn't it?"

Harry nodded not hiding his own disappointed look, "Yes, didn't want to lose more time to get the boat and find you, since the last location I had of you was in the middle of the state."

Hermione smiled a little at Harry and squeezed his arm, silently telling him that it was fine, before she turned towards the group and continued her explanation, "Magical transportation of goods are similar to a person transportation. There are spells for short distance up to another district, not further then another town. For long distance transportation, they use either a special made portkey, which would allow a transportation from one state to the next and closest country or state. Anything further than that, would have been going through the a special section within the Magical Traveling Department inside a governmental building…. And well, since the outbreak, every magical governmental buildings have been shut down."

"Then how is it possible to transport anything," Beth asked.

Harry took over and explained, while Hermione took her seat back to sit down, "Shortly after the lockdown, two of our former professors worked on a way to transport items safely for long distance, which Hermione and many other witches and wizards needed. They succeeded, but unfortunately it came with several limitations. Magical sensitive items, supplies that can easily expire, especially fresh goods or fresh potion ingredients, potions or prepared food can't be transported. They either become wasteful or unstable, which can be dangerous, even with the strongest protection magic on them.

"Certain supplies can therefore be safely transportable, such as clothes, books, or some dried goods, like spices, a few dried potion ingredients and even dry food like rice, flour, noodles, and something similar. At the moment from what we know, our wandmaker and several professors from our former school are trying to figure out a way to safely transport wands and other fresher supplies that would be needed in potions. It could help many people if they find a way to do that… especially, since not many know how to fight without a wand and without it… well… yeah."

Hermione looked down at her hands, as Harry said those words. She knew he didn't mean to point it out to her, but she knew he was right. Without a wand, she was useless in a fight. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Harry's worried face. She gave him an assuring smile, silently telling him that she was alright, but the look in his eyes told her that he didn't believe it.

Harry didn't say anything on that matter and began to help Carol, along with Axel and Beth make dinner, after Harry put away most of the supplies and left still a table full of groceries.

"If you like, we can teach you how to use a weapon or fight," Maggie offered as she put Judith over her shoulder rubbing her back gently.

Hermione turned towards the woman and smiled gratefully. It wasn't something she had thought she would need, since she had relied on her wand and magic. The thought of using a gun or even learn how to fight physically made her a little nervous, but also something that settled her nerves and the more she thought about it, the more she came to accept the idea of it.

"I would like that, thank you," Hermione replied with a smile. She would need to know how to fight the muggle way and maybe letting Teddy learn to defend himself that way would be a good thing too. She would talk with Harry about it and together they would decide what type of training they could arrange for the teenager.

* * *

**23****rd**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

After Harry helped with dinner, by conjuring clean water or opening the cans of food, he was made to go by Carol, explaining that Harry had also done enough and should rest. Together with Beth and Axel, Carol prepared the food and took over the small kitchen. Harry easily gave in and let Carol reign over the kitchen. He could clearly see that this task somehow calmed her. The longer he had watched her, the more Harry realized that there was more to Carol than met the eye. He had noticed the close friendship between Carol and Daryl in the last days. At first he had thought that there was more going and the thought had quite stirred an unfamiliar feeling in him that he couldn't explain, which only calmed down when he was sure that all that was between those two was a close friendship. Something akin to what he had with Hermione.

A moment of watching Beth and Axel taking orders from Carol, which they had followed quite accurately, Harry chose to return outside and waited for Rick's return. But before he left, Harry had reminded everyone of the vow they had taken, due to the soon to be new addition to this group.

Yesterday, after the talk with Rick about Carl and after informing the group, Hermione and Harry explained about the magical vow they had to take in order to safeguard the knowledge of their magical world and what they were. At first, several were confused and worried about the spell that would be placed on them, until Hermione explained that it was more or less harmless.

Essentially, the magical vow, would ensure that the person who gave the oath, wouldn't be able to reveal the secret, be it on purpose or accidental. Any attempting to do so, would make it impossible in any form or means and would be punished with headaches or nauseous. The more they try the severe the pain will be.

A spell that had been invented almost a century ago and has been ever since executed and performed on parents of muggleborn witches and wizard or when witches or wizards married a muggle in order to keep their world and all knowledge of it hidden. They could only talk with those who also took the vow, knew about magic as well or when they met a witch or wizard. The spell would recognize those patterns.

In the end, the group had accepted it. Rick was the first to go, followed by Daryl and Hershel. Soon, everyone took the vow, even Merle did after expressing his distrust about it at first.

Harry and Hermione were more than relieved after they had performed the spell on every member, except for Carl, who would need to learn to keep his ability a secret. Hermione had given the young teenager and all those who would listen a brief, yet detailed view about their world, which had fascinated many. He was glad that things begin to look better, even with the threat that hung above them.

With a last smile at Hermione, Harry and Daryl were about to walk back out, when suddenly Teddy joined them. Harry noted that his son still held his side with one hand, something that worried him greatly, but Teddy assured him that he felt fine and that it ached only a little. Teddy swiftly changed the topic and pleaded with him to let him come with them, saying that he was going stir crazy if he was longer inside the cell. Harry had chuckled at his son's desperation and had agreed in the end. Daryl had left shortly after, saying he wanted to catch up with Merle and talk with him about a few things. Harry knew that there was still an animosity between the brothers, due to the past mistakes of Merle.

Harry had kept an eye on Daryl's brother and noted that he kept mostly to himself, by staying in the background, observing his brother and the group mostly. Sometimes, when Merle thought no one was watching him, Harry caught a glimpse of something akin to regret or sadness in the older man's face. Sometimes, he would do sometimes strange, like go outside and watch the fences, while most of the group or everyone ate inside, only to come later and get what was left behind or when Daryl put some food aside to him. Other times, Merle would place the fallen metal plates back at the fence around the courtyard, which led into the prison building. And yet, on the other hand, Merle didn't stop from leaving some smart ass comments about what they should have done, like running away or giving a half-assed apology to Michonne, and later on, a few hours after Andrea had left to Glenn and Maggie, not that Glenn was easy to accept the apology nor the reason he gave them, from what Harry had seen. But it did take off the edge and tension between him and the group.

Merle had yet to talk to Hermione, though. He either didn't know how to justify how he hadn't helped her better or simply was too afraid of Harry to come near his family. He was sure that sooner or later this confrontation or confession would come and Harry didn't know how to feel about it.

Merle was a complete contradiction and puzzling for Harry to understand. Merle tried to fit in and yet isolated himself the most from the group. Still, he informed everyone with what they were dealing with, how the Governor thought, worked, operated his little wanna-be soldiers and how heavy they were armed. The way he spoke about the Governor could have misinterpreted for bragging, but Harry could clearly see from his demeanor that he was fearful of the man and what he was capable of, which Merle believed everyone was not taking serious enough.

"Did Carl tell you who this new guy was?" Teddy said next to him as he sat on the stairs of the prison, pulling his mind back to the present. Harry wouldn't let him wander off, while he was still healing.

"No, he only said what I told you. He is probably a muggle and you know what this means, don't you?"

Teddy's shoulders slumbered in defeat and nodded as he said, "Yeah. No magic, keeping my shifting in control and watching out what I say."

Harry smiled sadly at his son and brushed his hair before he sat next to him. "I know it's annoying, but our safety and secret comes first. That we have told so many muggles about us is already a risk, even with the vow."

They were only magically forced to keep magic a secret, which didn't ensure their physical safety. Harry trusted this group, but having more people brought into the secret was just too dangerous.

"I know… still sucks, though," Teddy muttered gloomily.

Harry placed his arm around Teddy's shoulder, before he tried to cheer him up, "I'm sure Hermione and I will figure something out where we can still practice your magic, once you get back on your feet, get a clean bill of health from Hermione and Madame Pomfrey… also, after we will worked out the problem with the crazy people."

Harry was also thinking of talking to Hermione about expanding Teddy's magical defense and classes to muggle protection. Fighting with weapons and muggle self-defense. Harry didn't like the though of his son having to know how to use such weapons, but the last two days had only proven even more that it was important to be able to defend themselves in any means and form, which would increase their own survival.

Teddy nodded smiling at the thought of training again, which made Harry chuckle at his son. Both stayed silent and watched Sasha walk along the fences with her brother, Tyreese next to her.

"Dad? You didn't call the base yet, did you?" Teddy asked, which made turn back towards his son.

"No, not yet," Harry answered truthfully. "I will call Sergeant Ford in a few days and let him know what happened and where we are. They should arrive in a few weeks afterwards though. Shouldn't be longer than that."

"But what about the people here?" Teddy asked confused, sounding a little worried. "We can't leave them here like that? Can't they come with us?"

"It depends on how many men the General is willing to send, but I don't think that we are able to take them with us."

When Teddy was about to protest at this, Harry quickly continued, "We won't leave them defenseless, Teddy. Hermione and I are working on a ward system that can hold for months, maybe even for a year. We will secure the prison magically and by other means before we leave. I'm sure we can also find a way to stay in contact with everyone…. I don't want to leave them behind, but we need to go to Washington to end the constant rise and danger of the undead. This is the most important task."

Teddy nodded in the end, while he frowned at the information.

"INCOMING CAR!" Tyreese shouted from across the field, which made Harry jump to his feet and look in the direction. It was Rick's car.

"Go back inside, Teddy. Let the others know that they are back."

Teddy quickly nodded and walked back inside, just as Harry pulled out and pulled out his gun. He watched Tyreese jog the little distance that was left off towards the main gate. The wards, Harry had placed, would only allow anyone from the inside to open the main gate, while anyone from the outside wouldn't be able to do so.

Harry stood a little away from the stairs that would lead into the prison, as he watched the car entering the facility. He needed to see for himself that this new guy wasn't dangerous for their people or had been sent by the Governor to infiltrate the prison. Harry's left hand absently brushed on his jeans pocket, where he had put a vial of Veritaserum and its antidote, just as Daryl and Merle came into view jogged his way, as soon as they had heard Tyreese's call.

The car was driven by Michonne, next to her sat Rick, with the other two sitting in the backseat. Merle quickly jogged towards the last fence and opened it to let the car in, before he closed it.

With the gun loosely held in his hand and a wand hidden in his wand holster, Harry waited for them to get out. He had already spotted the new guy, who looked to be in his late twenties or earlier thirties, which was difficult to see with all the dirt covered on his face and clothes. He looked nervous around within the car and only got out when Rick opened his door, telling him to get out.

Rick immediately turned towards Merle and asked, "Is he one of them?"

"One of who?" the man asked confused and a little fearful.

"Na, ain't seen that one before," Merle answered Rick as he looked the man over.

Rick nodded shortly, before he looked at Harry and asked, "Could you… do the same thing you did with this Milton guy?"

"Sure," Harry agreed, grateful that Rick wasn't blind to the possible danger the newcomer could pose and quickly pulled out the vial of Veritaserum, keeping it hidden in his hand.

Rick turned towards the nervous looking man and said, "Your going to sit there and take what he will give you." He pointed at Harry and the man even though he was repeating that he wasn't any danger to them nor would hurt anyone, did comply in the end and sat on the stairs.

Harry showed the vial of clear liquid and told the man to open his mouth, which he did after Harry assured him that it wasn't poison or something like that, that it would only show them if they could trust him. The man hesitated, even after he agreed to do what he was told and as soon as the third drop of the potion hit his mouth, he had a characteristic vacant look on his face, caused by the effectiveness of the Veritaserum.

Harry immediately began to interrogate the man, without waiting for the others, "What's your name?"

"Russel Smith, my friends also call me Russ," came the monotonous voice.

"Are you by any form inflicted with the Governor, a man from Woodbury."

Russel frowned at the names as he responded, "Never heard of Woodbury. I'm not really familiar with the governors of this State."

"The Governor, whose name is Philip and is the leader of Woodbury," Rick specified.

Russel shook his head and said, "I don't know a man by that name or heard of him. Never heard of Woodbury."

"Are you here to cause us harm? Spy on us?" Harry went on.

"No. I would never harm anyone and I don't have intentions to spy."

"What do you want?" Daryl's voice spoke.

"Shelter. Friends. Survive. I just need help. I've been alone for months, being in the woods and always on the run. I want to stop running. I want my sister back. She died a while ago. I want my family back and I want-"

"Ok that's enough," Harry cut him off before he could tell all the things he wanted. "Are you willing to fight and protect these people here."

"If I have to, yes. I don't know how to fight really."

Merle snorted from the back and said, "Ain't that cute, watcha can do then? Knit a scarf?"

"No, I can't knit. I'm a mechanic. I know how to fix cars. Worked in a small factory to repair and maintain the engines and devices, made sure they worked right. I also can cook, well not good enough, but its eatable. I can clean, read, do complex math, also-"

"Ok thank you," Harry said and looked at Rick, waiting for him to say something. From what Harry could tell the man was harmless and could help around the prison.

Rick was quiet for a moment before he spoke, "How many walkers have you killed?"

Everyone looked confused at that, but waited for Russel to continue.

"I don't know anymore. Too many, already," he answered after a moment.

"How many people have you killed?" Rick asked next.

"Four people."

"Why?" Rick asked as several people moved closer to pull out their weapons.

"To protect my sister and myself," Russel answered in a lifeless voice.

"What happened?" Harry asked instinctively. He didn't advocate murder, but he could understand defending themselves, which several people seem to interpret differently.

"Once we were hiding in the woods, when two men found us. They attacked us and wanted to kill me and take my sister. I killed one with my knife in his heart and I slit the other man's throat, who tried to rape my sister. Another man I killed, when my sister and I went through the deserted homes to find food. He attacked us and tried to kill me. I don know why he did it. My sister used a frying pan, knocked him up before I killed him. The fourth man I killed, was when three men attacked us. We run and tried to hide. Biters had been everywhere, which made it difficult. One of the men had been taken down by a group of biters, but the other two found us. I fought off the one who attacked me, my sister killed her attacker and I killed mine. He had injured her with his knife, stabbed her in the side. She died slowly afterwards and I killed her when she turned," Russel explained as he silently cried at the end. It wasn't unheard of that even with a Veritaserum, emotions could be pulled through, especially traumatic events. The pain was clear on his face.

"Why did you shout for us to stop and take you with us? Weren't you afraid that we could be bad people? What were you thinking?" Rick asked clearly confused, while his demeanor had relaxed somehow.

"I was afraid, still am. I just didn't want to be alone anymore. Didn't want to run all the time. I hoped to find a group, normal people, kind people who would take me in. If you and your group showed any craziness, I would have sneaked out and left at night and if I had failed, I knew I would die. Something that would have happened either way, if I was out there or here, I think."

Everyone was silent for a moment, until Harry said, "I think we can take him in. He looks harmless. Let him stay in the other cell block with Merle, Daryl, Sasha and Tyreese. I already informed the others that magic isn't to be mentioned to this guy. So, if no one has anymore questions-"

"Hold on," Tyreese cut in confused. "You just mentioned magic and used some magic drops on him, won't he already know?"

Harry recalled that both siblings hadn't been there when he had interrogated Milton.

"No, he won't. I will replace the knowledge of magic and that I gave him the Truth Serum, with an alternative version of questioning. All he will remember is that he told us all the things he just said on his own free will. Don't want to erase his mind, if it's not absolutely necessary."

Rick and Daryl nodded at each other and when Rick said that he should do it, Harry didn't waste any time and gave Russel the Antidote to the Veritaserum, before he cast a spell to modify his memory. Something he used to do whenever muggles were involved in magical cases, altering what they had witnessed.

A moment later, after Harry finished the memory spell and put away his wand, Russel blinked in confusion and wiped away the remaining tears. "I don't know why I said all that," he confessed a little confused.

Harry suggested gently, "Sometimes, people just need it to get it out of their system."

Russel nodded and looked nervously around. Harry noted the wide eyes of Sasha and Tyreese, who stood a little away, before they relaxed again.

Rick explained the rules in the prison, the situation they were in and what would be expected from him, but the man only nodded in agreement. He looked more relieved that he was allowed to stay, than about the upcoming threat. Russel accepted everything and thanked them repeatedly for taking him in, as they went inside to introduce him to the group. Daryl lead Russel into the building with Carl and Sasha tagging along, while the others went back to the car to pick up the supplies of weapons, which had been put in the trunk.

Harry frowned when he spotted a red patch on Rick's shoulder and asked, "What happened to you?"

"Nothing. A misunderstanding. Will explain it later."

Harry nodded and he advised Rick to let Hermione heal it, which would need to be done quickly and before it could get infected. Rick agreed to do that and went towards the car to pick up a smaller of the three duffel bags before he walked inside the prison.

Harry's eyes caught a bright orange colored backpack, those that are used for hitchhiking in the woods or mountains. His confusion must have been evident on his face, as Michonne mentioned that it belonged to Russel, when they had picked him up after they had gotten stuck in the road. Russel had run towards them, after they had at first ignored the man on the highway. That's when Rick had suddenly changed his mind, held him at gun point, took his backpack and cuffed him inside the car, while asking all kind of questions from where he was. They had left him in the vehicle when they went looking for weapons.

Harry glanced at Rick, just as he disappeared into the prison and wondered for a moment, if he would have left Russel on the road to fend for himself. Whatever might have happened to change his mind, Harry was glad about it.

If there was one thing Harry knew about war and survival, due to his past experience and the current battle the have with the undead and humans alike, was it to never give up and that no one would survive or win this alone.

* * *

**24****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

All day long, Hermione could almost feel the tension around the prison. Many looked worried and anxious of what they could do in order to secure the facility and defend themselves. Everyone had been in Cell Block C, except for the new addition, Russel, who had been left to sleep in the other cell block.

Harry had suggested various defensive and offensive magical means in order to help. Depending how they wanted to approach the upcoming attack. Hermione also offered to create various potions that could be helpful in the attack. She still had many ingredients in her beaded handbag, several of them under a stasis charm to keep them fresh and viable. She could create potions to be of a more destructive nature, or that could create fumes upon destroying the bottle. With fumes there were numerous possibilities available, resulting from disorientation, anxiety, render the attackers unconscious, or worse kill them, which was something she refused to do. Hermione had reasoned that probably the majority of people in Woodbury didn't have a clue of who the Governor truly was. Merle had, to her surprise, taken her side on this.

It was helpful to understand the madman due to the insights Merle gave them. He predicted that the Governor would launch an attack, after he armed and trained the people in his town for war, which would take several days, maybe a week but not longer than that.

Much to her dismay, Harry had offered to set up trigger wards close to Woodbury that could help them by informing them about their arrival. Daryl and Merle went with Harry in the end, to give him backup and the right direction from where the Governor would probably come from to reach the prison, which was where they were right now.

Hermione couldn't stop worrying about Harry and the two brothers ever since they had left. She tried to busy herself by taking care of Jon and Judith, making sure Teddy was alright, but thankfully Carl kept him occupied. She had found them sitting together in the new cell room next to hers, which Teddy shared with Harry. Both teenagers talked about Hogwarts or their families, from what she had occasionally heard coming from that direction. .

Hermione sighed as she watched Jon play on the ground on the play pad, while he played around with his animated toys and colored in his drawing book. Thankfully, Rick and Harry had made it clear that this cell block was a no go for Russel, not without an invitation, not before meal times and such. She was grateful for their privacy, which made many things easier on them. Hermione sat on the ground, next to Jon and was trying to calm her nerves. It usually would have worked, whenever she busied herself. But today was just not her luck.

Rick entered their prison cell block, walking straight towards Hershel who looked confused at the sudden approach. Hermione watched them walk toward a secluded corner. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but whatever Rick had told Hershel, made the older man's eyes widen in surprise. Both men looked tense while they talked back and forth, until Hershel nodded in the end. Rick said something else that made Hershel nodded shortly, before Rick walked away.

Hermione frowned at the exchange, as she looked back at Jon who gave her his stuffed toy, upon looking at her. Hermione smiled at her son before she kissed him on his forehead and returned to play with him, while her thoughts returned at the strange exchange. Something unnerved her about it. Hermione shook her head and blamed it on her nerves being fried up and worried because of Harry.

She was so deep in thoughts of her best friend, that she didn't hear or see someone approaching her, until he stood right in front of her. Looking up, she saw Rick holding Judith in his arms, smiling a little down at them.

"How are you holding up?"

Hermione returned the smile and said, "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? How is the shoulder?"

Rick smiled even more and Hermione forced herself not to blush under his gaze. She recalled the events of yesterday, when he returned with a stab wound to his shoulder. Hermione had swiftly taken over and to her dismay, had actually ordered him to take off the shirt in a rather demanding way and when he failed to do so fast enough, Hermione had, to her mortification, simply cast a spell to take off the shirt magically, instead of simply opening the cloth at the place of injury.

Fortunately, the wound hadn't hit any major artery or lung. Only after treating his wound, did she realize what she had done and to her further embarrassment notice just than how much she was touching or looking over his firm chest, making her blush and stammer furiously afterwards. Harry, who had watched the whole scene didn't hide his amusement, while Rick, thankfully, simply smiled and she could have sworn even blushed a little. Hermione couldn't recall the last time she had felt this embarrassed. Afterwards, Hermione had quickly left afterwards, explaining that she needed to take care of Jon, which earned her a chuckle from both Harry and Rick.

"The wound is gone," Rick said, stopping her trail of thoughts, as he slowly kneeled in front of her on the play matt. He cradled Judith in his arms and Hermione could see the little baby's face, who looked up curiously.

"Thank you again for that and what you have done for this group so far. I hadn't found the chance before."

"There is nothing to thank for, Rick," Hermione said, meaning every word of it.

Jon suddenly grabbed her leg and arm to help himself to stand up. His bright blue eyes were glued on Judith. Rick who saw that, laughed at the toddler and simply brought his baby girl closer to Jon, who touched Judith gently, before he broke into a bright smile and offered a magical animated teddy bear to Judith, which Rick gently took.

After a moment Rick spoke again, seeming to see the worry in her eyes, "They will be fine. I trust Daryl and I've seen what Harry is capable of, and Merle… he is too loyal to his brother.."

Hermione smiled gently and nodded silently in thanks, hoping that he was right.

* * *

**25****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

Something was off, since he returned from setting up the trigger wards yesterday. Shortly after his return, Rick had talked with Daryl alone somewhere and both of them became all secretive and quiet about it. Not telling him what it was about, and now, Daryl, Rick and Hershel went off to somewhere to find specific medical supplies to stock up their supplies.

Harry had offered to help, telling them that he had knowledge about many of those things from being on the supply run when Hermione was still working on NOVA, but they wouldn't hear about it, finding excuses and reasons not to take him with. Even several others from his group were confused about the whole thing, but stopped arguing about it, once Rick said it was his decision. It had pissed Harry off greatly.

Now, they had been gone for almost two hours. Harry would give them another hour before he would try to follow them by the given locations they planned to see. In the meantime, he went to finish resetting the wards around the prison, something which was becoming tiresome. Thankfully, Hermione had still a few pepper-up potions that helped him recharge his energy. It wasn't an ideal solution, but would do for now and until they figured out how to set up the rune wards around the prison.

Hermione had wanted to help, but Harry had put his foot down and flat out refused. Even though he knew that she was completely recovered by now, he just didn't want her to tax herself. Therefore, she was inside and began to brew various dangerous potions in the cafeteria, which they could use for offensive or defensive means, while the others in the group checked and prepared the weapons Rick, Michonne and Carl had brought with them, two days ago.

Harry sighed in relief, when he finished up the last spell for the ward and looked around the almost deserted prison field yard. Only Michonne, Glenn and Maggie were outside, spread around the yard.

"You ok there?" Michonne asked who walked towards him.

Harry hadn't yet figured out the most mysterious member of this growing group. She was strong, brave and fearless, no doubt about that, but Harry had noticed that he never came closer to Hermione whenever she was with Jon or Judith, which could mean that she either doesn't like small children, or had experienced a traumatic event regarding them. He recalled a situation when a soldier returned to Fort Polk and had failed to save a small child during a supply run. The girl hand't been older than five or six, from what Harry had been told by the others. This soldier had then witnessed right before his eyes, how the child had been torn apart by the undead, something Harry didn't even want to imagine. The thought alone had caused Harry to sent a cold shiver down his spine. Afterwards, the said soldier had avoided all contact with any children and had not been able to be near them. He applied to guard the wall and safety around the base, to defend the compound from there on.

Harry shook the gruesome memory away and looked back at Michonne, "I'm good. Just worried about Daryl and the others."

Michonne nodded and walked silently next to him as he led them back towards the courtyard.

"If they don't return in the next hour, I will go after them," Harry informed her.

"I can come with you."

"Thanks, but no. Someone needs to keep a cool head around here."

"And you think I have that?"

Harry looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "More than many people do."

Michonne snorted at the thought, but remained quiet. Harry glanced around and noticed that the two of them were alone.

"Where are Glenn and Maggie?"

For the first time, Harry saw Michonne actually lips twitch into a small smile, as she said, "Saw them… making out in the outside storage room."

Harry blinked twice before he chuckled in return. He looked into the direction she had described and saw the slide door of the storage almost entirely closed.

Both walked quietly next to each other, when Michonne suddenly said, "I'm sorry you know." At Harry's confused look, she continued, "For the way I acted when we were rescuing the people from Woodbury."

Harry nodded at her words, before he said, "You were angry and rushed into the danger. I know that. Been there, done that actually. People died because of my own actions. Had I thought things through or didn't let my emotions run with me, things would have turned out differently… So, there is nothing to be sorry about. I get why you acted the way you did… just don't do it again."

Michonne nodded and Harry noticed the tension leaving her shoulder.

Just as they reached the last fence, leading to the courtyard, they heard Daryl's motorbike engine loud and clear, followed by the sound of an approaching car..

"Finally," Harry sighed in relief and looked around to see if anyone was watching him, before he instructed Michonne to wait where she was. Harry quickly apparated towards the main fence, killed the nearby undead outside the fence, as he opened the main gate magically, as soon as Daryl reached him. After closing when Rick drove through, he shut the gate and apparated towards the second fence to let them drive in.

Harry made sure all the fences were closed and secured, before he apparated inside the courtyard and waited for the approaching car and bike. The sound brought the attention to several people inside the prison. Carl quickly came out, followed by Teddy, Beth and Merle. Maggie and Glenn showed up as well, while quickly tugging at their clothes. Beth and Maggie quickly hugged Hershel, while Harry went to open the trunk, only to meet with emptiness. He frowned at that and looked back at Rick, who had a faraway look on his face, with his jaw clenching for some reason.

Harry's suspicion came ten folds as he watched Daryl closely and even Hershel looked worried.

"You didn't go for a supplies run, did you?" Harry stated in a hard voice as he looked from Rick, whose jaw had tightened even more, to Daryl, as he looked away and Hershel who couldn't hide his guilty expression.

"Whatcha talkin' about?" Merle asked confused and turned towards Daryl. "What is he talkin' about, little brother?"

Daryl didn't say anything and looked at Rick, but remained silent. Maggie turned towards her father and began to ask him of what they did and where they went, but he didn't answer her, when Hershel faced Rick and said, "You should tell them, Rick."

"Tell us what?" Glenn cut in, beginning to become upset himself. "What's going on here?"

Rick finally said in a tight voice, "Let's get inside. We'll talk there."

Confused and worried, the group followed Rick inside. It was dangerous being in the open, even with the shield Harry had placed, weren't fool proof and not absolutely strong.

As soon as they went in, Harry walked towards Hermione, who was in her cell room with Jon sleeping on the bed. She looked puzzled at his behavior and opened her mouth to say something, when Harry cut her off by turning towards Rick and asked again, "Where were you, Rick?"

Rick stood in the middle of their cell block, with most of the people around him, except for Axel, Oscar and Russel, who were probably still in the mechanic room of the prison to work on the engines.

The sheriff took a deep breath and said, "Yesterday, when Harry, Daryl and Merle went out, Andrea showed up."

Everyone, except for the other two he had mentioned, everyone looked surprised or confused about it. Glenn and Maggie instantly shot questions at him, but Rick ignored them as he continued, "I was alone outside, keeping watch when she showed up, outside the fence. She came asking about a way to settle this with a treaty. Just talking between the Governor and myself. I decided to give it a shot."

"You did what?" Harry almost shouted in anger. He absently noticed Hermione quickly placing a Silencing spell around her cell room, to keep Jon sleeping. Usually, he would have apologized, but he was just too overwhelmed by his own anger and the idiocy of that man.

"Have you lost your bloody mind?! Meeting with that lunatic on your own and on top of that, you risked the two lives of your people?"

Rick glared suddenly at Harry and said angrily, "This is still my group. My people and I have the say here. I decide what we do."

Several people looked uncomfortable about Rick's declaration, but Harry became even more pissed and took a step closer, not caving under his hard glare. He had met more dangerous and crazy people in his life. It would take more than that to make him fearful of someone.

"A leader doesn't have to decide on everyone's behalf, decides what's right or wrong, nor is he a god among people not to do any mistakes. Who do you think you are dealing with here? What are we to you, Rick? Mindless Puppets? Chest pieces? Are you doing all this for the greater good?"

Harry felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and before he could pull away, the voice stopped him, "Harry, please calm down. He is not…" Dumbledore was left unsaid. The older Harry became, the more he saw how the previous headmaster's involvement in his life and events that had played out. He, and many others, had been manipulated over the years. Left in the dark and weak, which cost had cost the lives and suffering of too many people. Something he swore to himself that would never let happen again.

"I'm sure Rick had his reasons," Hermione concluded nervously.

Everyone stayed silent when Harry moved away. He noticed that several people looked worried, but also shared his anger as they looked at Rick.

"I did what I had to do," Rick explained after a moment. "I had to give it a chance, see if we could find another solution, even if it meant risking our lives."

Harry wanted to snort at the idiocy of this plan, but stayed quite instead.

"So, I met this Governor. Sat with him for quite a while."

"Just the two of you?" Merle cut in.

"Yeah," Rick answered hesitantly.

Harry turned to glare back at Rick and pointed out, "It didn't work, did it?"

Rick's jaw clenched. His eyes hardened as he looked down for a moment before he responded by looking back at everyone, "He wants the prison. He wants us gone… Dead. He wants us dead… for what we did to Woodbury… We're going to war."

Most of the people looked fearful at the final clarity of the situation sank in, while a few others steeled themselves for the upcoming fight. Hermione moved towards Teddy, who stood next to Carl and calmed both boys down. She touched both of their shoulders and spoke quietly to them. The way he knew Hermione, he was sure that she was giving them a little pep talk, those she used to give him whenever he felt helpless or when they were in any dangerous situation.

Harry absently heard Merle say to Daryl, "Can't believe ya went along tha' dump ass plan. Shoulda have attacked or taken off while we could… really motherfuckin' dump ass plan, little brother."

Harry looked closely to Rick and had a feeling that this wasn't all that had been going on between him and the Governor. Call it a hunch or Auror instinct, but something was missing. If the Governor would have wanted war and their death, wouldn't he have simply moved along right then and there and killed Rick, Daryl and Hershel.

Harry moved closer to Rick and told him tightly, "I want to talk with you, Rick. Now."

Rick looked directly at Harry and nodded after a moment. Both walked out without a word to the others. They silently went towards the bridge that lead to to the other side of the prison.

"Why didn't you tell us about this? Is this the usual way you work things out? By keeping secrets and attempting to solve things with a half arsed plan, damaging the trust this group has build in the last few days," Harry went straight to the point. He was still too angry about the way Rick had handled the situation.

Rick sighed as he looked from Harry towards the courtyard of the prison.

"I knew if I told everyone about this plan, they would either have stopped me from meeting him or tried to find a plan to attack him. I figured that you, Glenn, Merle and Michonne would be the one among them who would have killed him immediately and therefore open up a war between us and them. The others would have tried to stop me from going there."

He looked back at Harry intently, trying to make him see reason as he continued, "I had to try, Harry. I'm sorry that I didn't tell y'all, but I had to try. See if there is another way out of this. Without bloodshed and losses."

The anger slowly left Harry at these words. He could hear the honesty in his voice and that he meant well.

Both remained silent, even when Hershel joined them. Harry stood a little behind them and didn't mind Hershel tagging along, as long as he would get the full story about what happened today.

Rick was in deep thought, when Hershel spoke up next to Rick, "The group's taking it as well as can be expected. Merle, Michonne and Glenn are convinced we should hit first. Carol, Hermione and I think we should take our chances on the road. We're in this together. So if we stay and fight, so be it."

Harry admired the loyalty and strength of the old man. Even with a leg missing, he was still ready to fight. Rick nodded and spoke after a moment, "He gave me a choice. A way out."

Harry instantly straightened at his words and looked at both men. Hershel seemed equally surprised and waited for him to continue.

"What does he want?" Harry asked tightly. Rick turned around and faced both Harry and Hershel and said, "Michonne… Hermione… Told him that Hermione and you had already left. He's probably out there scouting the areas now… He wasn't happy about it, but negotiated that he would use the treaty in exchange for Michonne. "

Harry's heart beat furiously in his chest as his hands balled in fists at the thought of Hermione being in the Governor's clutches again. Even the thought of Michonne anywhere near him filled him with rage. Rick's jaw tightened, making the muscle pop.

"He'll kill her," Hershel stated incredulously.

"And then kill us anyway," Rick confirmed with a nod. "But what if he doesn't? What if this is the answer?"

"He won't let us live, Rick," Harry cut in. "That bastard will kill us anyway. This isn't about winning a war or battle with our capitulation, he wants to see blood."

Rick nodded at Harry's words and said, "That's why I need them to be scared. To be able to fight."

"They are," Hershel commented gently.

"Good. 'Cause that's the only way they'll accept it."

Harry sighed when he recognized the doubt in Rick's eyes, and said, "I hope you don't consider his deal, Rick. The Governor is a liar and that's beside the point. Michonne doesn't deserve this… to be handed over for slaughter. You saw what he did to Hermione and that was his way of asking to work with him, her cooperation… I don't want to even imagine what he would do to Michonne."

Hershel nodded and calmly said, "She saved my life. And Carl's. Glenn, Maggie. Hermione. Teddy and Jon, even Judith's. If she hadn't come here with these kids, we never would have known they were taken. Harry wouldn't have found us and probably many more would have died. She's earned her place, Rick."

Harry agreed with Hershel on that. He knew that if Teddy and Jon never had left the first hiding place before they met Michonne, Harry would probably had only rescued Hermione, not being aware that there could have been other prisoners at Woodbury, which could have meant their death.

"Yeah… Yeah, she has…" Rick agreed with a nod. "But are you willing to sacrifice your daughters' lives for her?" he asked and looked at Hershel, before meeting Harry's eyes. "Or your children, your best friend?"

"No one is going to sacrifice anyone, Rick," Harry cut in angrily. "This is a group. Our group. Michonne is part of it. She is one of us. Would you give up any other member for a half-arsed change of survival? Carol? Daryl? Maybe Glenn? Do some people have a higher priority and worth than others?"

"Of course not," Ricked sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Your right… Michonne is one of us now and we won't give up on anyone."

Harry nodded, feeling a mixture of relief, anger and worry at their situation. It wasn't the ideal solution for them and a part of him had wished that Rick had succeeded with the meeting between him and the Governor. In the end, it showed what a sick minded crazy bastard he was, who needed to be gone for good. There was only one way out of this. He knew it, as did Rick and Hershel.

Harry looked back at them with hard determination and declared, "Then we will have war."

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. I wanted to show you all how the group handled the new addition, the influence of magic and how the trust was building within the group (which also takes place in the events of S.03 Ep.12-13). It's a little more fluffy and less angsty or dramatic than the previous chapters… but don't worry, the next chapters will be filled with lots of drama. I hope this gave you all (y'all… lol) a better inside of the dynamic of the group and people.


	21. Chapter 20 - Forgotten Past

A/N: Thank you all for the amazing reviews and response to this story! You all are just awesome. Thanks to uoduck who beta reads this story. You are just amazing!

I'm changing the timeline here a bit, cause in the TV show it was still summer when they went to prison attack, so were the negotiation with the Governor was and now, at the end of season 3, people begin to wear warmer clothes… which is kinda confusion. I checked on the Television Show Timeline on the Internet and found out that between the time of their rescue mission from Woodbury and the final attack on the prison was only 10 days in between. It's also confusing that when Season 4 begins everything is hot/warm again… So, I will just keep my timeline, which I think will work out in the end.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 20 - Forgotten Past**

* * *

**26****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

It had been 12 days since Harry had left Fort Polk to find his family. He wasn't sure if enough time had passed to consider such feat as believable or even possible, due to the lack of clear and safe roads and, to the muggle's knowledge no way of contacting Hermione or his children. Harry sighed as he held the Iridium Satellite Phone in his hand, wondering not for the first time, if he should call them now or wait. Hermione was next to him, as well as several others of the group. Originally, he had planned to call them a few days later, at least let two to three weeks after he had left the base, but the way things were going and the ever growing threat to his own family and this new group, he had little choice to do anything else.

Even though the military back up wouldn't be able to reach them in time for the battle with the Governor. Hermione still needed to get to Washington and without a military protection, Harry couldn't safely get them to Washington, especially when he never had been there previously by magical or non-magical means. They couldn't apparate there, even if Hermione had visited the state several times in the last years, it was just too dangerous and unsafe to travel magically.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice pulled him back from his thoughts and made him look back at his best friend. She looked worried and anxious about the upcoming call. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, sorry," he quickly assured her. "Let's do this." And without another word, Harry pulled out the antenna of the phone before he turned the phone on, while still being inside the prison facility. Ford had told him that the best way to use the phone would be outside with the antenna up towards the sky, but due to the threat they were currently under, Harry didn't want to risk Hermione out in the open. So far, the Governor thought Hermione was gone, which was an added bonus to her safety, which he wanted to keep that way.

The screen immediately lightened on and Harry dialed the number Ford had saved up for him. Oddly enough, Harry's heart beat frantically in his chest. Too many emotions were running through him as he held the phone to his ear. It took a moment before the phone began to ring. Somehow, Harry had believed that Ford would have immediately picked up or as soon as he called, but upon the third ring, and forth, Harry began to worry.

What if they wouldn't pick up? What if something happened? Were they all gone?

But before he could work himself into a state of panic, someone answered the phone and spoke from the other side, sounding frantic, _"Hello? Hello?" _

"Here- Here is Agent Harry Potter. Who is speaking?" Harry asked tightly, trying to hide his worry.

_"Agent Potter! Thank God, you are alive! Is Dr. Granger with you?" _

Harry frowned. The voice sounded familiar, but couldn't place it. He needed to be sure to whom he was talking to. "Identify yourself!"

_"Yes, sorry. It's Specialist Matt Wilson. Remember?"_ Harry sighed in relief and confirmed his knowledge about him, before the IT-guy continued, _"It's damn good to hear from you Agent Potter. We tried to call you once, but the phone was shut off. Is-Is Dr. Granger with you? And… and your kids?" _

Hermione looked a little excited and smiled at Harry as he looked at her. Everyone inside the cell block looked hopeful at Harry.

"Yes, I've found Dr. Granger. She is here and safe, as well as my kids."

_"Fucking-A! Yes! Finally some good news!"_ Matt exclaimed happily, before he spoke to someone to get Sergeant Ford and the General.

_"Where are you right now, Agent Potter?"_

Harry explained where they were and Rick helped them by giving the name of the prison facility, which was all the Matt needed to locate them. At some point, Hermione had leaned forward and listened on the phone as much as she could, which looked like to be enough to hear the conversation.

That's when the Sergeant Ford took over the phone and exclaimed happily, _"Fuck me sideways Potter, you're still alive!?"_

"Sergeant Ford!" Hermione gasped out in a shocked voice. Several others looked amused, shucked or shook their heads. Carl and Teddy only snickered in the back.

_"Is that the Granger there!? Damn girl, you can't imagine how fucking great it is to hear that stuck-up accent of yours." _

Hermione only shook her head, appearing a little flushed at Ford's words, but not able to hide her smile, as she said, "It's good to hear from you too, sergeant."

_"Holy fucking shit! How the fuck did you find them, Potter?"_ Ford asked not hiding his astonishment.

Harry, Hermione and Daryl had come up with a plausible and believable story that would make sense to them, while keeping to the truth as much as possible. Harry explained that he had come across Rick's group two days ago on his search for his kids and Hermione and found out that they had found his children. They had taken Harry in and Teddy had told him what happened to Hermione, that she had been kidnapped on the attack, while he gave him the washed up version of how Teddy and Jon could escape. He and this group had rescued Hermione and two of their members.

Ford kept cutting in about more specifics about the attackers, Rick's group and more about Hermione's health, which Harry assured them that she was fine except for the mild bruises and injuries which the group had helped healing. The General of Fort Polk had joined them during his explanation and cut in his own questions.

"We are safe for now. The attack was led by a self-proclaimed Governor, who runs a whole town, around 70 people. They do pose a threat and want to retaliate for freeing Dr. Granger and two of this group's people, who had also been held hostage and tortured… The Governor killed Lieutenant Welles several days later, sir," Harry added afterwards. He spared a glance at his best friend and saw Hermione's face falling at the mention of the man. He could clearly see the guilt in her eyes and knew without a doubt that she blamed herself for the lieutenant's death.

_"Fuck," _Ford cursed angrily in the background.

_"What does he want with Dr. Granger, agent?" _

"He knows about NOVA and wanted the formula. Dr. Granger didn't give it to him though."

_"Good," _the General sighed in relief. _"How is your current situation, agent?" _

"The prison is secured. The fences are strong and tight. We have weapons to defend ourself and end this with the Governor, without risking the lives of the children, anyone who isn't able to fight, including Dr. Granger as well," Harry assured him, earning him a glare from his best friend. "We are currently working to power-up the whole facility, so that we have electricity again. Not sure when it will be ready to run, though." He would also need to recharge the phone that way. From what Ford had told him, the talk time of the phone was a maximum 4h and on standby for up to 30h, which was the reason why he would turn the phone off after the call.

_"I trust you will be able to handle the situation with this terrorist, Agent Potter."_

"Yes, sir."

_"Good. I'll coordinate a team to evacuate you as soon as possible. I trust you to complete the mission to get you and your family to Washington safely. Can you check in with us in two days, Agent Potter? It will give us enough time to organize everything and update you on how we are going to operate this mission."_

"Yes, sir. Sir, is it possible to evacuate this group with us, they are-"

Before Harry could tell him of the number of people they had, the General cut in, _"Negative, agent. To send a team to get you, Dr. Granger and your two kids is already hard to guarantee the safety as you have seen. Added civilians, even if they know how to protect themselves, would only endanger my men and your own safety. I can't risk that." _

"Then I would request a small team to stay here with this group as an added safety and protection, sir. This is the least we can do," Harry added with a hard voice. He had asked Rick previously to the phone call about added security and assured him that he trusted these soldiers. They were good, loyal and brave men that would do anything to protect each others. Rick had agreed in the end and accepted the added help if it was given.

The General didn't say anything for a moment. Harry could hear a sigh from the other side of the phone, before the General spoke again, _"I will see what I can do, Agent Potter." _

"Thank you, General Pierce. I will call in two days," Harry said relieved, as he said his quick goodbye and closed the phone. Everyone looked somewhat hopeful during at the end of his conversation. Rick looked at Harry and nodded gratefully at him.

Hopefully, they will find a way to solve this mess soon. Even though, he looked forward to get to Washington and finally end this hell the world had turned into, a part of him didn't look forward to leaving this group behind. He glanced at the tall man with the crossbow who leaned against the wall, and met his sky blue eyes, feeling an odd sense of… sadness.

* * *

**27****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

Two long tables were set up in the cafeteria, which Hermione and Harry had previously magically cleaned. The tables were utilized for various cauldrons and a work bench, while another shorter table supported professional ingredients box, a magical cabinet that several drawers in various sizes. It held so many different types of ingredients, that Hermione was able to brew countless potions. Although, she had noticed that her supplies were beginning to get down, since she was unable to purchase the ingredients like she used to.

Several people had offered to help Hermione, but she refused. Not even letting Teddy assist in the preparation due to the sensitivity and even risk of instability of the potions if handled wrong. One potion could even turn highly volatile, if she did one step wrong or the brewing wrong. Only skilled potioneers, who possessed a mastery in this subject approaching these types of potions and that's why Hermione was brewing them alone, in order to finish them safely. While she was able to do those potions, never would she have thought that one day, she would actually brew something like that. These potions weren't exactly legal, but not dark or of evil nature, either, more of a grey area. Depending more on the way how it would be used.

Together with Harry, Hermione had set around the complete cafeteria safety wards, just in case if anything should go wrong. Harry had been notably nervous, knowing that even with the protecting spells around the table and room, Hermione wouldn't be protected. He only left, after a long talk, assuring him that everything would be fine, did he leave.

By now, she had been working for around three hours and would probably take another four to five hours to finish every potion. Occasionally and without meaning to, her eyes would glance at the direction where the storage room was located, which made her grimace in disgust and every time. She tried not to think of Axel's words on how he and three other inmates had used it as a bathroom facility, but it didn't work.

Rick and Merle accompanied Hermione and Harry to the cafeteria to make sure that everything was still safe. Merle offered to stay outside, while she worked, to make sure all was right. She tried to tell him that it wasn't needed and that it would take hours to finish them, but he insisted and stayed outside. She still wasn't sure why he would do something like that. That man was just puzzling.

Hermione recalled the talk the group had about the upcoming fight with the Governor and it was decided to let him come to them. They knew the prison facility better than the Governor and while they would go in blind, Harry and Hermione could secure this place with potions prepared traps or spells to conceal their cell blocks and force them to walk into a certain direction, while the others suggested snipers on several spots all around the prison and other lines of defense.

She sighed worriedly, as she pulled another ingredient from a drawer that had been under a strong stasis charm, a Bloodroot plant. She gently pulled two white petals of the flower, before placing the remaining of the Bloodroot flower back under the stasis charm and into the drawer. She couldn't help, but worry and wish for the umpteenth time, that this situation was finally over, as she meticulously cut the petals in slices.

* * *

**28****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

He knew that this Governor was bloody metal, but this just took another level of craziness. Harry glanced at Daryl, who shared the same incredulous look as he did.

"Yeah," Merle spoke as he looked down the pit. "Told y'all, didn' I? A hole filled up with walkers. He's gonna use them on us, when he attacks again."

"Shit," Daryl cursed and took a tentatively step closer to look down. "Damn, man."

"I know," Merle commented as he looked around. "People at Woodbury got a lil' restless and then wantin' to be involved in the Governor's business. Of course he ain't likin' tha'. Wanted them to stay in the dark. So he thought to pull somethin' like an ancient arena show and wrestlin' with the biters. To entertain them an' get them all distracted. It worked," Merle shrugged, before he added, "Thought it was fun."

Harry recalled the arena show when he, Maggie and Rick had rescued the brothers. He could only shake his head at the memory, still at disbelief how stupid people could be.

"Yeah, well. Let's get tha' burned up, before they show up," Merle commented, as he looked around, probably trying to find something to create a fire.

Without any warning, Harry raised his wand and cast a powerful fire spell down into the pit with the countless undead.

Harry wondered, while he watched the undead burn, how things would have turned out, if Merle hadn't informed them about this place. The Governor would have probably tried to use these things against them again, like he did during his first attack at the prison. Merle had described him as a mastermind manipulative and sweet-talker and on top of that, he could be ruthless and obsessive in his fixation, which fits what Hermione had said about him.

According to Merle, the Governor wasn't the strategical brightest or most creative one to coordinate an attack. That task fell mostly upon Merle's and some other guy called Martinez. They were the ones to come up with battle strategies for attacks and fights, as well as, were in charge of the security and defense of Woodbury.

Merle believed, since knowing how Martinez and the Governor worked, that they would either attack on both sides, trying to surround them, or attack in the front line. Maybe place several snipers around as well. Merle gave them detailed information on how the Governor would act, the members who he would call fighting, including kids, what type of weapons they had and what he would do and say to the people in Woodbury to make them fight and die for him. It sickened Harry. With the ammunition the Governor had, he had enough power to go through that plan and cause damage.

The three of them watched silently as the undead inside the pit quickly burned down to ashes, only a few bones were still visible, as the fire began to grow smaller. Harry knew from experience that the last remains would be gone in a few moments as well. Suddenly, they heard a car approaching.

"Shit! It's them!" Merle hiss as he rushed towards the car, closely followed by Daryl. Harry stopped them as an idea came to mind.

"Wait," Harry said. "If we take off now, they will hear us and know we were here or follow us. Don't make a sound," it was the only warning Harry gave before he cast a strong Invisibility Charm over them and the car, as well as a Muggle Repelling spell and a moment later, two cars pulled up. A light yellow off-road car and a military truck. At a close inspection, Harry could see that it had several bullet holes in it, confirming his suspicions about the origin of the car. Harry's hand tightened around his wand as he watched both cars park next to a what looked like horse trailers.

A Latin and Afro-American tall men walked out of the military truck, followed by two three other people from the other car and quickly walked towards the pit, as smoke was coming out, cursing heavily.

"Fucking hell," a young man cursed as he looked down the smoking pit. "How did this happen? Did we drop an oil lamp or something?"

The Spanish man looked around, trying to see any disturbance, before he answered the young man, "Naa, man. This isn't caused by some accident. Someone came here and set them on fire."

"What? Who would do something like that?" another asked. Harry noted that the Latin and Afro-American guy looked tense, yet stayed calm while the other three didn't hide their emotions.

The Latin man looked around suspiciously, his eyes glance unseeingly over them, "Not sure. Let's get out of here."

"The Governor won't be happy about it," said the same young man.

"Yeah, don' think we'll get new bites ready in two days," a middle aged man absently commented.

No sooner did he said it, as everyone climbed into their cars and left.

Harry waited for five minutes, making sure that they had left and just to be safe, cast a quick _Homenum Revelio_ spell around them and when it came clear, he dropped the spells around them.

"Nice trick, boss," Merle commented with a grin.

"Who was tha'?" Daryl asked his brother.

"The Spanish guy s' called Martinez, now the right had of the Governor. The black guy s' Shumpert. He's the main guard at Woodbury. The others are just civilians, ain't havin' a clue of weapons or fightin'," Merle explained and climbed up in the backseat of the car afterwards. "Shoulda' have killed them while we had the chance, boss."

"Then we would have lost our timeframe, Merle," Harry rebuffed the man. He knew that if they had blown their cover by killing these men than the Governor would have attacked much sooner, probably immediately and they hadn't been ready yet.

Dary's blue eyes lit up with understanding as he looked at Harry.

"We have two days, before they'll attack us," stated Daryl in a serious voice.

Harry nodded silently, as he walked to the car. If he was honest with himself, he was a little surprised that the Governor would attack them so soon. However, thankfully, they had most of the things prepared. It just gave them still enough time to get everything else settled and prepared.

* * *

**29****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

The whole morning, Daryl seemed a little off to Harry. Something must have been bothering him. Harry took a moment to decide if he should ask him what's on his mind or just leave him alone. In the end, Harry's curiosity got the better of him and he walked to the slightly taller man.

"Are you all right?" Harry asked and looked at him closely. "Don't tell me there isn't anything, cause I can tell that something is clearly bothering you."

Daryl looked at Harry nervously, while at the same time not able to meet Harry's eyes. Daryl bit the inside of his lower lip, which immediately drew Harry's attention. It sent a warm and yet nervous feeling through his body, seeing this action.

"I told Merle about the deal the Governor gave Rick, about Michonne and Hermione," Daryl began to explain, which snapped Harry out of his hazy state. "Said that the Governor was crazy about Michonne though. Wanting her the most and would leave them alone. Don' know why I told him. Wasn' important anymore. I told him, we ain't doin this shit. Ain't us."

Harry's shoulder tensed at the information and a sudden uneasy feeling came over him. He glanced at Hermione, who was with the children and Carol. He told himself that she was safe, with the kids. He wouldn't let anyone hurt them again.

"Do you think Merle will do something stupid?" Harry asked and getting the point, as he began to have an uneasy feeling about it.

Daryl shook his head and glanced at Hermione, before he met Harry's eyes. "Merle wouldn' hurt your friend. Not after he tried helping her… and she's your family. He ain't that stupid."

Harry frowned, but nodded in understanding and hoped that Daryl was right.

"What about Michonne?" Harry asked, and gazed around the cell block, trying to find the woman. The last time he had seen her, was with Glenn. Michonne had done so much already and helped his children. He owed it to her to make sure that she was safe.

"Not sure," Daryl admitted worriedly. "I'll keep an eye on him."

Harry nodded and said, "Let me know, if-" He broke off as his wand in his hand suddenly vibrated in warning. Daryl, who had seen this sign previously, cursed heavily.

Without another word, Harry quickly apparated out in the courtyard at a hidden spot, but then the vibration of his wand stopped. Confused he looked around the outside fences, not seeing anything.

"Is something wrong?" Glenn asked closest to him.

"Not sure," Harry admitted, before he looked at both Glenn and Michonne. "Keep your eyes open. Someone triggered one of my wards, but now it's gone."

Harry didn't wait for them to confirm and apparated inside the tower, startling Rick in the process who almost raised his weapon at him.

"Sorry," Harry apologized and looked outside the fences.

"Did something happen?" Rick asked confused.

"My ward triggered. Probably, two people, but then it was gone. Came from this direction," Harry said and pointed at the bushes.

"You think they're here?" Rick asked worriedly, before he raised his sniper riffle and looked through the eyepiece, observing the area.

Harry shook his head and said, "The trigger spells I've placed are on the roads and they are still up. I'll know when they got past them."

Harry looked around and saw a few other people coming from the prison equally prepared to fight, but nothing happened. Everything was quiet, well except the undead looming outside the prison and against the main fence.

"I could go out there and check," Harry offered, when they didn't see anything.

"No," Rick said. "Could it be a false alarm?"

Harry frowned, not sure if something like that happened. Maybe it was a walker or a human who just turned previously. Spells were still not fool proof.

"Maybe. Sorry," Harry sheepishly said. "Thought someone was there."

Rick shook his head and told him that it was all right, better prepared and ready than sorry in the end. Harry went back to the courtyard and explained that it was a false alarm, many looked relieved at that, but Daryl frowned in confusion. He remained quiet as he followed Harry, who began to check on the wards again, just to be sure everything was still all right.

* * *

**30****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA **

**Daryl**

He knew that staying with Michonne was his way to make sure his brother wouldn't do something stupid. He also knew that Hermione was safe from Merle, especially, when he voiced out that he wouldn't let her get to the Governor again. Merle was sure that this time he would take off the kid gloves and torture her until she was dead, no matter if she gave him the formula or not. This alone left Daryl worried, but what Merle had said afterwards about what the crazy-shit would do to Michonne, had left him speechless.

Daryl hadn't told anyone about it. Not even to Harry, even though he had been tempted to. Daryl had only revealed, the reaction his brother had upon hearing the deal he gave Rick.

Daryl couldn't seem to be able to shake off the worry that began to grow in him. After he saw the reaction his brother had, he knew that he should have kept his mouth shut. It hadn't mattered anyway. And yet, a part of him, wanted to share the secrets they used to have, as well as their trust. There had been a time when Daryl only could trust Merle and now, it was somehow gone. Daryl had realized that when he had glimpsed a calculated glint in Merle's eyes. It left him worried and on edge. Especially, when Merle began to tell him about the possible deal and the chance it could give them, as well as what the man would have done to Michonne, once he had her.

Daryl wasn't sure how long he walked through the corridors of the prison, looking for his brother, when he heard a noise coming from the laundry room.

"Merle, you down here?"

When he was only met with metal clinking, Daryl raised his crossbow, walked forward and called out to Merle again. Even though they had cleaned the majority of the prison from walkers, he was still on his guard.

"Hey, little brother," Merle greeted him as he leaned against some working bench cabinet.

"What the hell?" Daryl exclaimed as he lowered his weapon and looked around, trying to figure out from where the noise had come from.

"I was just about to holler back at ya," Merle said, not moving from that place, until Daryl took a few steps closer and found nothing suspicious behind him. There was only old junk. Merle explained that he was looking for some drugs and making lame ass jokes on how it ruined his sweet life up, which annoyed Daryl even more.

He hated it when his older brother took this shit. It changed him. Made him even unpredictable. Merle would do stuff he wouldn't have usually done in the first place. It was worse than alcohol and he knew how much Daryl hated it. For a brief moment, Daryl wondered if there was a magic thing that could help Merle getting down from that shit for good or immune to drugs.

Daryl changed the topic by asking, "You wanna come help? Gonna set up a few stuff up before Harry can do his magic."

Merle chuckled humorlessly, "Ain't pegging you for following orders. Who says that his shit will even work? And what if it ain't?"

Daryl took a few steps back from Merle and passed in annoyance.

"You used to call people like that "sheep", little brother… What happened to you?"

Daryl looked back at him intently, as he asked something that had been on his mind for too long, "What happened… with you, Hermione, Glenn and Maggie? Why did you let that happen?"

"I've done worse," Merle admitted almost ruefully. "Ain't proud of it, but things are different now… you need to grow up… Your people look at me like I'm the devil."

"Ain't true, man," Daryl immediately cut in. "Many understand. The others will forgive you in time."

"Y'all too bleeding do-gooder. Thinkin' that y'all can just win this war with some voodoo shit, while you still have a way out."

"We ain't doin this, Merle. Michonne stays."

"Cause y'all don' have the balls to do it, right?… Yeah. People do what they got to do or they die."

Which explained why Merle did what he did to survive. Daryl knew if he had been with his brother and not gotten separated in Atlanta, nothing like this would have happened. A part of him was feeling guilty about it and another angry that Merle simply didn't come back to the camp they had, or hadn't simply searched for him. For all he knew, Merle didn't even look for him, which was another thing that hurt deeply. But deep down, a more hopeful part of him believed that Merle simply didn't want to find him dead. Like he had done, when he had reasoned with himself that he didn't want to find Merle turned into one of those walkers. No matter how shitty Merle was, he was his brother. His family. Like this group.

"You can't do things without people any more, man. This group… We stick together and do what's right."

Merle only scoffs at his words without meeting his eyes, "Maybe these people need somebody like me around, huh? Do their dirty work. The bad guy… There is always someone in a group who does the dirty work."

He knew his brother had done some bad shit even before the walkers had shown up, but he knew that deep down Merle was good. There were still things Merle wouldn't cross.

"Yeah," Merle continued. "Maybe that's how it is now, huh? How does tha' hit you?"

Daryl just looked at his brother. He wasn't always good with words or feelings. He knew he loved him and would do anything to protect his grumpy ass, even if it kills him. Daryl remembered the things Merle did to him when their parents were shit-holes to them. How he would take him out, show him how to fight or use different weapons. He wasn't perfect, but he was his big brother, who tried to protect him from any asshole who gave them shit.

"I just want my brother back," Daryl admitted slowly.

Merle smug face immediately dropped. It was replaced with sadness and Daryl could see his eyes filling with tears, as he stammered, "Get out of here, man."

They had never been really able to express their own emotions and feelings to one another. Never said how much they cared, loved or meant to each other. It was simply given. Sometimes, Daryl wished he could just say it. Say that he had missed him in the last year. That he kept thinking about him, wondered if he had survived, wanted to tell him that even if he was an asshole most of the day, he still cared about him… loved him… but he just couldn't. Never having said something like that to anyone at all. He couldn't even remember telling his drunk ass parents about it. It was a foreign concept to Daryl.

Merle looked away and Daryl looked nervously between him and the ground. A part of him felt foolish for saying it and another was relieved. Without another word, he left and walked out. He knew that Merle would need time to come to terms with it. Daryl was sure that Merle would figure out how to fit in the group and if not he would help his brother.

He didn't know how long he sat there, deep in thoughts when Harry sat next to him. The wizard was silent and the two of them just watched the outside of the prison, as the others finished up their work. He knew that Harry would set up some magical traps around the prison and use those stuff Hermione had made, which were according to her, really dangerous. She had described them how it could be used to everyone who would stay behind. It still baffled him, seeing all this magic and he wasn't sure if he would ever get used to it.

"Is everything all right?" Harry asked after a while.

Daryl didn't know what it was about that man that made him feel so close to him. He barely knew him and yet felt he could trust him with anything. Tell him anything, without being judged or getting the pity eye, like many other do. Carol had been the only one who could understand having a difficult life, but still there were some things when he had told her about his life that she couldn't hide her… sadness or pity from him, which instantly shut him close again.

"I worry about Merle. He ain't… He feels like we don' want him… see's himself as an outcast," Daryl snort suddenly and glanced at Harry, who looked a little confused at his outburst. "He would kick my ass and call me Darlyna, if he knew we're talking about his feelings an' ask if I needed to paint my nails or braid my hair."

Harry chuckled at the image. Both stayed silent for a while.

"I know he ain't a saint and made mistakes, but…"

"You care. He is your brother. Family," Harry finished for him, which made Daryl look at him and nodded.

"Yeah," Daryl confirmed. "He isn't perfect, but he… tries to do the right thing, even if it's not seen right away… When we were kids an' our parents shit-ass drunk, he would make us some sandwiches, grabbed a pair of cokes and took me out into the woods for the night. His way of camping… Think I was four or something."

"Sounds like someone I would have liked to grow up with," Harry said after a moment of silence. Daryl was surprised and it took him a moment to conceal his emotions, but Harry must have seen it anyway, when he added, "I didn't have a good childhood either. I was adopted by my aunt, when my parents were murdered by a psychotic wizard. I was treated like a slave and beaten as one, hardly got anything to eat… They made me live in a cupboard, under the stairs, while their son had two bedrooms. Everything changed when I turned eleven and got my invitation for the magical school, where I would be spending the entire school year at a magical boarding school… I thought I was dreaming. Up until then, I didn't even know I was a wizard. Strange things happened around me and that's why my relatives kept calling me a freak, since I could remember."

Daryl didn't know what to say. He knew how that felt and had experiences some of the shit he did as a kid. He didn't want to imagine how his childhood would have turned out, if Merle hadn't been there most of the time.

"When my old pops got batshit drunk he would whip out his belt and beat us with it. For no shit. When Merle was there he wouldn't let him near me. Sometimes took the beatin' that was meant for me… When Merle turned sixteen he became more involved with his friends and in trouble, which got him in juvi."

He barely remembered his mother anymore. Merle hadn't been there when their mother died in a fire. He was in juvenile detention, while Daryl had to deal with their drunk ass father on their own. Then he got lost in the woods when he was barely twelve years old. His brother had been in juvie again, when that happened. It had taken Daryl nine days to find his way back and his fucked up father didn't even notice that he was gone.

"Later, he signed up for the army," Daryl continued as he pushed away the old memories.

Harry raised a surprised eyebrow at that, which made Daryl only chuckle in return, "Yeah, I know. Didn't last long. Wanted to show everyone what a big shot he was. He wasn't bad though, learned a lot of things, until he punched a sergeant cause he said something about our family… still not sure what it was. The court nicked him up for sixteen months. Don't know what changed, but after he came out, he found me, packed my stuff and took me away. I was still a teenager. Our pops didn't even look at us, when Merle and I got my stuff out… just wanted the TV and the beer. Haven't been separated ever since. Not until Atlanta."

After a moment of silence, Harry said, "In time, I'm sure Merle will prove himself part of this group. I think someone like him, needs to… face and accept his mistakes. Like he did with you, after seeing what he did wrong… Sometimes an apology helps and sometimes actions speak for themselves."

Daryl snorted at the thought of Merle saying sorry to someone in this group. He barely did it to him and only when he really screwed up. "Yeah… he ain't the type to-"

"Daryl, Harry!" Rick called suddenly. Both turned around and stood us as he came closer, while he carried a sniper riffle across his bag. "Have you seen Merle and Michonne? She wanted to come to me, half an hour ago, talking about some ideas. Went through the prison and Merle is missing too. They've gone."

"Damn it!" Daryl cursed and quickly explained to Rick that he had told Merle about the deal, as he led the three inside and into the same room he had found his brother.

"He was in here. Said he was looking for drugs. He said a lot of things, actually," Daryl said and looked around for any clues of his brother.

"Like what?" Rick asked

"He said we didn't have it in us to do it. To give up Michonne," Daryl said, as he walked them further into the room and found a ripped out bedclothes, which he remembered seeing it with his brother in the last day as he put random stuff in it. "Yeah, he took her here, then they stood up."

"Bloody hell," Harry exclaimed next to Rick.

"Damn it!" Rick hissed angrily. "I'm going after him."

And before he could say anything, Harry already objected, "Daryl and I will go, Rick."

"You can't track for shit," Daryl added, but Rick wouldn't hear it, as he said, "Then the three of us."

"No," Daryl cut them off. "I will go alone. Plus, when we come back here, you need to be ready."

Harry looked at him with determination and said, "You track down your brother and we will fly with my broom. It will be way faster than on foot and less dangerous. I will go with you, Daryl. If something happens, I can get us out of there quick."

Daryl knew he was right and it meant a lot that he would risk going with him. He simply nodded at the wizard and said that he would meet him outside the gate and disappeared with a pop. It was still strange to see him do that on a daily basis

"Damn wizard," Daryl mutter under his breath, halfheartedly. "Don' tell the others yet. Give us an hour or two, Rick," he added and with one last glance at him left the building. He rushed towards the entrance and before he could even reach it, Harry popped up out of nowhere with a broom. He had only seen it once.

"You sure you can fly that, with me on it?" Daryl asked nervously.

Harry only grinned at him, which sent another odd feeling through his chest. Harry simply said, "Sure, one of the best flyers in my school." Harry swung his leg over the hovering stick. Daryl gulped nervously and followed him on the broom, sitting behind him. To his surprised, just when he though he would sit on a stick, he seated on much larger place. It felt a seat of a bicycle.

"I will cast a Disillusionment Charm on us. Do you know which way he went?"

Daryl nodded, and pointed to his left. Even behind the fences, and all those walkers out there he could, he could see both footprints clearly, which leaded into the other side and into the forest and also from the stabbed walkers, which looked like the work of his brothers. Harry quickly did the spell, twirled his wand stick over them both and he felt an invisible cloak sensation over them, as if someone had thrown a sheet over them.

Without warning Harry took off, which made Daryl instinctively he grab on Harry's waist to steady himself. It was a little awkward as he could feel his face heating up, but Harry didn't say anything, as he flew over the walkers, unseen by them. They even flew through the forest and a little lower on the ground to make him see which way his stupid brother took.

Things got easier when they came upon a clear road. Harry put the broom down and let him see the tracking signs better and afterwards they took off again. They flew over a road, a motel like place where more dead walkers and shortly after they saw Michonne walking down the from a road.

Harry quickly went down and pulled off the magic, which made Michonne jump like crazy in the air. It would have been a funny moment, if the situation wasn't so dire.

"Where is my brother?" Daryl immediately asked. A cold feeling spread through him as he added. "You kill him?"

Michonne shook her head and said. "He let me go."

He breathed a sigh of relief at that, and listened to Harry's asking about Merle's direction, which she pointed out.

"I will be right back, Daryl," Harry said and with a small warning to hold tight, he grabbed Michonne's arm and quickly disappeared with a pop. Daryl held the broom in his hand and looked at the direction of his brother, when suddenly Harry appeared back with the same sound of pop.

"Let's go," he said, took the broom from Daryl's hand went towards the car. It took them a few minutes when they spotted a car blaring with loud music, getting all the attention of the walkers. He drove slowly, while the walkers followed him. What the fuck was he doing?

He didn't know he spoke out aloud, when Harry answered, "He's leading them somewhere, but why?"

Daryl looked up and could see where he was heading. "Shit, he's going to lure them to the Governor I think."

"Alone?" Harry exclaimed incredulously. "Bloody idiot. Hold tight, Daryl," was all he said when he moved forward stopped the spell just as they dropped a few feet before the approaching car. Merle immediately stopped and jumped out of the car and ran towards his brother and Harry.

"What the fuck are ya doin' here?" shouted Merle as reached them.

"What the fuck, man? I told you we ain't givin' Michonne up, but you dump ass fucker just did what you thought right."

Before Merle could say anything, Harry said, "Sorry to interrupt, but we need to go."

"No! I need to do this!" Merle protested, smelling of alcohol, which only pissed Daryl more off. "I'm almost there, man."

Harry pushed without saying the broom in Daryl hands before he grabbed them and teleported them on damaged red roof, which was a few feet away. Merle cursed heavily as he tried to regain his bearing. Daryl wasn't a fan of this kind of magic, but he had to admit that it was useful. He nodded in thanks at Harry, who stood between the brothers, while he cast the same spell over them to make them appear invisible.

"Watcha talkin', man," Daryl focused back on what his brother said as soon as Merle stood straight again.

"The Governor. He'll try to come from here, like I said before. So, why not cut his way short. Make it unsafe for him… I-I need to fix what I did," there was a desperation in his voice that he hadn't heard before.

"This isn't some suicide mission, Merle," Harry said, as he did some magic to the car and made it silent, when more and more walkers began to appear out of nowhere. Merle instantly began to protest and say the same nonsense about needing to do this, when Harry shook his head and did another magic that made a huge glowing stag came bursting through. It attracted the walkers immediately and some of them walked towards it.

"Holy shit," Merle commented. "I think I had too much."

Daryl noticed that the walkers tried to move towards the magic stag, while Harry explained, "It's a Patronus. I will tell it to go towards that direction you've said these people would be in and lead them there, before it disappears. I will also cast a temporary concealing charm over them, which won't hold long though. Not with so many of them. I think it will last twenty minutes to half an hour tops. It should be long enough for them to reach the attackers and still stay for a bit invisible. But _we _are going back now! Hold tight," he said and did the same teleportation magic. It was a shitty feeling the first time, like someone sucked you through some tight tube and put you on a roller coaster, but doing it twice was just so fucking much worse.

Daryl barely registered being back in the prison's court-yard, which was surrounded by metal plates that Harry had placed just for this purpose.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and knew without having to look up that it was Harry. Daryl was bent over, holding himself upright by gripping his knees. He glanced at Merle, when he heard his brother throwing up. The clear view of Merle wasn't helping him at all. Daryl quickly pushed himself upright and forced his queasiness away. Harry grimaced at the sight and as soon as Merle was done, he vanished the vomit with a wave of his wand.

That's when Daryl noticed Rick and Michonne, who had been waiting for them and Rick looked pissed. Couldn't blame him for that. Michonne, on the other hand, looked calm and not even upset, which wasn't something he had expected.

He watched Merle standing up, while he cursed about the, "damn voodoo magic lift way," when he noticed the glaring group. Daryl was pissed at Merle. Maybe more than ever.

Merle swallowed and looked between Rick and Michonne, "Yeah, alright, I screwed up. Big time…. Thought I was goin' to help, doin' the stuff no one had the balls to do."

"We were never going to give Michonne up," Rick retorted angrily. "And if you hadn't left her halfway out to return back to us, it would have been your ass on the line."

"I get tha' now, officer friendly. I get tha'," Merle sighed heavily. "I messed up… tried to fix what I did wrong…. So, yeah… I screwed up."

Daryl knew that this was Merle's way of an apology and he hoped that Rick would see it that way too. He waited for Rick to say something, but all he did was stare at Merle angrily, until he said, "It's not me you need to apologize, Merle."

Merle blinked a few times before he sight and looked at Michonne, who to his surprised, looked kinda amused at the whole thing, "Aligh', my Nubian Queen, hit me as hard as you pretty little hands can do. I'll blame my lack of sanity on the missin' drugs and some post trauma bullshit I've got from bein' the right hand of the Governor. I thin-"

The punch came out of no where and hit Merle square in the face. It threw him off and made him fall to the ground. He had honestly not seen the punch coming. She had been standing still, while Merle moved closer to her during his speech, as she smiled a little at him, before she punched him.

"Fuck! Mothe'fuckin' shit hell!… Ugh… Al'righ'! Al'righ'!" Merle exclaimed, while his nose bled like shit. It looked clearly broken even from where he was standing. "I dese'ved tha'! Was an asshole!"

Daryl snorted at his words, while everyone had an amused look on their faces.

"We good now?" Merle asked as he stood up and tilted his head back. "Don't think ma p'etty face can handle anothe' hit."

Michonne chuckled at Merle. "Yeah, we're good."

Rick only looked back at Daryl, who nodded at him and watched the sheriff go back in, followed by Michonne.

"Damn, man. She has one mean hook. Betcha can betta punch than you, little b'other."

Daryl glared at him as the remaining three followed Rick and Michonne inside.

"Wanna try?" Daryl suggested.

Merle snorted before he winced and moaned in pain, which made Harry chuckle in return. Merle glared at Daryl and Harry as he said, "Tha' 'eally hu'ts, man. Think she b'oke my nose."

"You deserved it," Daryl commented and was relieved that his brother was here and alive, even if he had a broken nose in return.

"Yeah, yeah," Merle moaned as took the cloth Harry gave him, which Merle held under his nose.

"Hermione can fix it up, in no time," Harry said, as they came upon the stairs that led them inside the prison.

"Knew I liked kitten for a 'eason. Hell of a woman, tha' one!"

Harry smiled at Merle deviously, "Don't think you will like the way she will do it. It will hurt like hell before it heals."

Merle looked a little green and for a moment Daryl worried that he would throw up again, but then his older brother looked straight at Harry and said, "Fine! I dese've tha' too, but tha' it for today! Still gotta some ass kickin' done."

* * *

**30****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA **

**Hermione **

Hermione knew the moment the couple returned back into the cell block that something must have happened between them. Especially, when they were smiling this much, despite the situation they were in. And soon enough, Glenn and Maggie announced their engagement to everyone. Many had been surprised at the news, with the exception of Hershel, who just smiled happily at the couple.

"He asked me for permission," Hershel commented with a smile next to her. "Couldn't have asked for a better man for my Maggie."

Hermione could see the happy tears in his eyes. She gently rubbed the elderly man's shoulder, as he held Jon in his lap. She could only imagine the emotions he must have been feeling right now. When things calmed down and most of the people had hugged the couple, Hermione approached them and giving them a tight hug.

"Congratulations, Glenn, Maggie," she said genuinely happy for them. "I'm really happy for you two." They thanked her in return, giving her bright smiles. Hermione couldn't help herself and patted Glenn's smiling face proudly, which earned several people, including Maggie to laugh at her action. Despite the rocky start with Glenn, he was beginning to feel like a brother to her. There was just something about him that oddly reminded her of Ron and Harry. The little goofy behavior she had glimpsed once in a while, when he felt carefree, the bravery he showed to protect those he loved and the stubbornness he could hold. Maggie was similar, but more daring and outgoing and the only one who could get through to Glenn, if she wanted. In the end, both were a strong couple and fitted each other perfectly.

Shortly after the announcement, Rick returned back with Michonne and both were quickly informed about the upcoming marriage.

Harry suddenly showed up and asked her, "Could you come with me? Merle's nose is broken and it needs fixing."

Hermione frowned at the information, knowing full well that Harry could have fixed it easily. Hermione quickly agreed and went to take the little bag with the muggle based potions before she followed Harry outside the cell block.

Merle was sitting on one of the metal chairs at the table, Daryl stood a little behind him, not appearing much worried about his brother state. Hermione didn't say much as she sat next to Merle and faced him. She hadn't had much chance or opportunity to talk to Merle and neither had she seen much of him actually. Sometimes she found him looking at her with this unreadable look, before he would turn away or leave. She had wondered if it was guilt, worry or something entirely else. Hermione had come across enough people, who had a hard time expressing their feelings and the walking undead didn't help matters. She could imagine that these two brothers were among those people. Even Harry had a hard time expressing his own feeling and guilt, especially, after the wizarding war and finding out how many people had died because of it. Sometimes, things just needed time.

Hermione focused on the task at hand and looked at Merle's face up closerly.

"Watcha think, kitten. Can ya make me all p'etty again?"

Hermione chuckled amused, still in a good mood from the happy couple's announcement, as she pulled out her wand and cast a silent Diagnostic Spell over his face. Reading the results she said, "You have definitely have a broken nose."

"Yeah, y'could say tha'."

"Do you feel dizzy? Any nausea? Headaches?"

"Na, just nose hu'ts and b'eathin' is diffi'ult."

Hermione nodded and pulled out a potion and transfigured a piece of paper that was on the table to a spoon.

She turned back towards Merle and said, "I'm going to fix your nose now, but it's going to hurt."

"Al'igh', no p'oblem. Dese've tha' for being an asshole."

Hermione looked confused at Harry, who simply shrugged his shoulders and said with a hint of a smile, "He's making amends for being an idiot and having been manipulated by some creep. It's his way of saying 'I'm sorry', I guess. Michonne was the first one he 'officially apologized' to… and that's her way of accepting it."

Daryl snorted, while Merle said rather in a defying and awkward way, "Yeah, yeah… Come on kitten. Have yer way with me, befo'e offica f'iendly shows up, don' wan' the man gettin' all pissed at me and gettin' him all jealous."

Hermione blinked and could feel herself blush at his words. It didn't help that Harry and Daryl were snickering in the back.

"I-I- I don't know what you mean. Who is officer friendly?" She knew too well who he referred to, since she had heard Merle refer to Rick that way previously, but she guessed denial would work too.

"Yeah, su'e… Whateve' ya say, kitten," he grinned at her despite the broken nose.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the man. She swiftly pointed her wand at his nose and hissed the incantation, "_Episkey._"

A loud crack of the nose could be heard, just as Merle screamed quite profoundly which left her blinking at the man, as more blood seemed to pore from his nose. Hermione pointed her wand at his face again and Merle was about to stand up, when Harry pushed him back to his seat. She cast a quick healing spell that would heal the burst blood vessels in his nose and soon enough the bleeding stopped completely. For a moment she felt guilty for causing so much pain and if she was honest with herself, she might have accidentally, on purpose, not really intentionally cast a really strong healing spell on him. His nose looked even more straight than it had been originally. But when Merle began to say another round of almost explicit curse of being a prostitute and doing a 2-for-1 deal, Hermione lost any trait of guilt and glared at the man before her.

She saw Rick, Michonne from her peripheral vision and was sure that some others had joined them as well, to see what the commotion had been.

"Honestly, Merle! There is no need to be so vulgar about it. It isn't as if I had broken your nose… well, technically, I did re-break your nose to set it right magically, but that's beside the point. You're healed and your nose is fixed now," Hermione said in her what Harry would describe as McGonagall scolding voice.

She filled up the spoon with muggle Blood-Replenishing Potion and held it for him and told him, "Here, take this. It will replace the blood loss you've had and fix you up in no time." Hermione then cast a quick Scorgify spell on his face and then clothes, after he drank the potion.

Hermione put the potion bottle back in the bag, while Merle kept asking his brother how his nose looked now as he tentatively touched it.

"Like a nose, Merle," Daryl said with a roll of his eyes at his brother's attitude.

Hermione grabbed the bag with the muggle based potions and walked back into the cell block. By now almost everyone had returned, except for Russel, the new addition to the group, who was still in the maintenance room with Oscar and Axel. They made sure that the engines and machines were well protected when the attack occurred.

Russel, who was a mechanic was confident that the could fix the damage on the machines in given time. Oscar also had a little knowledge, which he had learned during his stay in this prison and Axel was just quick to assist and help wherever he could. All three were good people and it helped that both Axel and Oscar kept Russel mostly occupied and away to give Hermione and Harry the time to set up the spells around the facility. Up to now, everything had gone as planned.

To have back electricity and probably water through the pipeline would be a really good thing. Hermione and Harry didn't mind conjuring water for the group, or any other spells that could help the group. Not even Teddy was bothered by it. The only thing they needed was electricity in order to be able to charge the satellite phone.

On the third day after initiating the contact with Fort Polk, the charge of the phone went empty. Unfortunately, there were no reliable spells to recharge the phone without risk of damaging it. So far, the General had talked about sending a team in a week to their given location, which would take up to 2-3 weeks if everything went according to plan. After everything had been settled, the General had asked if Hermione could give the formula over the phone, which they would then send to the team in Washington and anyone else who still operated.

It was easier said than done. Reciting the complicated formula and all the steps and approaches, would not only take hours, but also only someone who had knowledge about this field of science could, without risk of missing a step, could be trusted with it. Thus far, she hadn't been able to give the NOVA-137 yet, due to the low level of phone charges. It wasn't the way she had imagined getting the formula to Washington, but as long as they could recreate NOVA she was fine with it. Even by getting the formula through the phone, Hermione was still needed in Washington to work in the lab and help the team to reproduce NOVA, due to the short staff of scientists.

She hoped that there would be given another way to send the formula to Fort Polk or Washington sooner.

"I need to talk to y'all," Rick suddenly said, halting her trail of thoughts.

Hermione walked back out from the cell room that she shared with her son and stood next to Harry and Teddy. Jon was still content in Hershel's arm, as he played with his dragon plush. Everyone was there, except for Oscar, Axel and Russel. No one said anything and watched Rick. Many of them looked anxious and worried about their situation. The happy feeling about the engagement of the couple seemed to have gone by now. Even Hermione could't shake off the feeling of dread, while she put an arm around Teddy, who leaned closer to her.

"When I met with the Governor, he offered me a deal," Rick began. Hermione's looked at him and saw the glances he gave to Harry, Hershel, Daryl and even Merle.

"He said he'd leave us alone, if I gave him Michonne."

Hermione gasped horrified and Teddy's arm tightened around her. Several heads turned to Michonne, who looked calm, despite the news. It could only mean that she had already known about it. Hermione's mind instantly went to the things that the monster had done to her and the thought of giving Michonne to him terrified her. She tried to reassure herself that this didn't happen, wouldn't happen, as she regained her composure, she looked at the others. Many of them looked equally horrified at the suggestion.

Rick looked down at the ground, as he spoke, "I had thought about it… to keep us safe." The guilt and shame were clear in his voice.

"But I couldn't… wouldn't do something like that… That's not us," Rick said strongly as he looked at everyone. "I was wrong not to tell you… and I'm sorry…. Some of you know what I said last year, that first night after the farm, it can't be like that. It can't."

Hershel, his daughter, Glenn, Carl and Carol looked quite surprised. Daryl was a little harder to read as he looked at Rick, waiting for him to continue.

"What we do, what we're willing to do, who we are, it's not my call. It can't be. I couldn't sacrifice one of us for the greater good, because we are the greater good. We're the reason we're still here, not me. I've realized that."

Hermione glanced at Harry and saw his shoulder slumber a little in relief. She recalled the similar words and accusation Harry had given Rick, after the secret meeting with the Governor. Hermione had a feeling that Harry's words had made an impact on Rick after all.

"This is life and death. How you live, how you die, isn't up to me. I'm not your Governor. We choose to go. We choose to stay. We stick together. We choose us. We choose what's right and wrong. We do this together."

Many looked relieved at his words and nodded in return. Hermione looked closely at Rick and knew that it mustn't have been easy to admit his own fault to everyone. She knew how it felt to take such a burden of responsibility with them. She had seen in the past how Harry had suffered from all these expectations from him to save the wizarding world from a monster they had created. She couldn't imagine the burden Rick must have felt all this time for this group. The guilt he must have felt and the blame he took upon himself for every loss and failure of safety.

His bright blue eyes met Hermione's for a moment. She smiled gently in return, silently telling him that he did the right thing.

* * *

A/N: I had really fun writing this chapter… How did you like it?

The next chapter will be the last for season 3 (yay!) and it will be badass.


	22. Chapter 21 - Welcoming Prey

A/N: Thank you for all these amazing reviews and everyone who likes, as well as follows this story! You people just rock! A great thank you goes also to uoduck who takes the time to beta read this chapter! Thank you so much!

Before you read, I need to warn you that this chapter contains the darkest piece/scene I've ever written… Scared myself in the end. Just be prepared about it. This scene will appear towards the end of this chapter… just saying… not for the faint hearted. Also be ready for lots of action in this chapter! It's going to be crazy!

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 21 - Welcoming Prey**

* * *

**30****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

It took them an hour to get everything ready and the most important things packed up. It helped using magic.

Now came the hard time, saying goodbye.

Teddy's arms tightened around him, giving him one last hug before he would leave with Hermione, Jon, Hershel, Beth, Judith, Carl and Russel. The latter wasn't familiar with using guns, like Axel, but he also wasn't aware of magic, which would be a liability for the group who stayed behind. Axel chose to stay and help wherever he could. Carl and Teddy hadn't been happy about it, wanting to help and fight, but Harry, Hermione and Rick wouldn't have it.

"It will be only a few hours and everything will be alright, Teddy," Harry said calmly as he made him look back at her. "I want you to watch over the others, ok? If you feel or sense something is wrong, tell it to Hermione."

Teddy nodded, not saying anything, before he gave him one last hug and left to go to the car.

Hermione came towards him, not hiding her worries. "I could stay, Harry. Help you with the spells and potions. Some of them are really dangerous and-"

"I've got it, Hermione. We've already set up most of the spells, I just need to take the wards around the prison down, open the gates and conceal our prison block. Everything will go as planned. I'll be fine. You are needed with the others, Mione."

Hermione nodded and sighed in defeat.

"If anything happens-"

"I will use my magic," Hermione cut in, with a forced smile, before she hugged him tightly. "Be careful, Harry. I-I don't know what-"

"Hey, I will be fine, don't worry about me," Harry said in a calming voice, as he rubbed her back slowly, before Hermione broke it off. Her eyes filled with tears.

"I will see you in a few hours. Everything will be fine," he assured her, which earned him a nod from Hermione. That's when he saw Jon heading their way. Harry turned towards the grinning toddler with his own smile, crouched down, with his arms wide open, and pulled him into his arms, as soon as Jon reached him. The toddler was oblivious to the upcoming danger or tension around the people and Harry savored the moment with the child, who had become like a second son to him. After a moment with the child in his arms, Harry handed Jon over to Hermione and watched his family go into a car.

Harry sighed worriedly, before he walked towards Daryl, who prepared his bike. He noticed, as he passed the second car, how upset Carl still was about the situation. The teenager pushed his backpack angrily into the car trunk and ignored pretty much everyone.

"Everyone ready?" Daryl asked as soon as he was close by.

Harry turned towards Daryl, who wiped off his hands with a piece of cloth. "They're putting their last things inside the cars. Think they're ready to go."

Daryl nodded silently and looked towards the direction of the two cars getting geared up with the people who wouldn't be part of the fight. Harry was torn between joining them and making sure that they are safe and another part of him was glad that they would be far away from the danger.

"They'll be all right," Daryl said, as he walked towards Harry and stood next to him. "It's far away from here and safe. Will have a good view of the prison."

Harry nodded in return and watched his son approach Carl, who nodded at something Teddy had said. Harry could see, without needing to hear the conversation, that his son was trying to lighten up Carl's mood, but he could tell that it wasn't working. Harry had never seen the kid this upset before, not even Teddy had acted like that upon having been told that they would go in hiding with Hermione and the others.

"Come on," Daryl spoke, getting Harry's attention. "Get all ya magic stuff down here. Oscar and I'll get the others to their spot."

Harry nodded in return before he looked back at the slightly taller man and looked him in the blue eyes, as he said, "Please make sure that the area is safe. Give Hermione time to set up the wards around, without Russel seeing them.

Daryl nodded at Harry. "Will do, Harry."

With a last glance back at his family and new friends, Harry walked back inside the prison to finish the magical set up.

* * *

**30****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

Everyone was tense at the hiding spot. Hermione quickly began to set up three layers of protection wards around the place. It would make sure that they were hidden within the perimeters of the ward and protect them from anyone who wishes them harm. The third layer of the ward, would hold back and entrap the undead, like a magical spider web and hold them in place until Hermione removed them. It would also warn Hermione, as soon as one of those things had been caught.

It was the best solution for the small group, without drawing too much attention due to the bright lights several types of shields would have during the casting and even after they were set, some of the wards would hold a certain type of glow afterwards. The last thing they wanted was to be spotted by the Governor's people or more undead. Having seen the arsenal of weapons they had, she didn't want to test how strong her wards could hold against one of those bombs, or other dangerous weapons.

Teddy stood next to Carl and Hermione could see that he was trying to calm him down. The boy had been angry the whole day, since Rick had told him that he couldn't participate in the attack. It oddly reminded her of Harry and Ron and now she could understand why Molly had been so upset for getting the 'kids' involved with the Order business so earlier in their lives.

Jon and Judith had fallen asleep. Beth had volunteered to watch over them, in the backseat of the car, where the two children were resting. Thankful for the help, Hermione had given Beth a book in return, something she had enjoyed in her younger years.

In the last days, Beth and Hermione and begin to spend more time together since they had mostly taken care of both Jon and Judith. During their long talks, Beth had confessed that she enjoyed reading and writing. Sharing the same passion, Hermione had happily offered to borrow Beth some of her books. The teenager had quickly accepted the offer and soon began to read whenever she had time to do so. She was a kind girl, who still tried to see the good in the world and people and hold onto hope however she could. Something everyone could still need these days.

Hermione sat next to Teddy, who held his wand discreetly in his hand. Russel was next to Hershel, while holding a gun nervously. She could see both men talking to each other quietly. Carl on the other hand, who was closer to Hershel, stared with a hard gaze at the prison.

Teddy sighed next to her and said, "Carl's upset. Keeps saying that he could have helped and fight. I tried to tell him that we… need to be here, but… yeah well… I don't think he wants to hear it."

Hermione sighed and put an arm around Teddy. "I'm sure after this is over, he will calm down. He is just upset for being unable to help. He isn't aware how dangerous the attack is going to be, not only for him, but also for the group. He would be more of an obstacle and distraction for everyone else, than a help. You do know that, don't you?"

"I know," Teddy sighed and leaned closer into Hermione's embrace. The moment of peace was gone, when they saw several cars heading directly towards the prison. They began to shoot, as soon as they neared the facility. Teddy tensed and moved a way from Hermione to have a better view. His hair, Hermione noticed began to chair color. Hermione quickly placed a charm over his hair to make it appear black again.

Hermione's gaze returned back to the prison and her hand tightened around her wand, as her heart beat furiously in her chest.

"Everything will be alright," she said. Not sure whom she tried to convince with her words.

* * *

**30****th ****May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

As soon as, Daryl and Oscar left with two other cars, occupied with all the children, Hermione, Hershel and Russel, everyone else at the prison went back to work. Harry quickly cast the last spell at the entrances of the two cell blocks that had been habituated by their groups, and transfigured a wall in front of it. Giving the impression that it was just an empty corridor.

Afterwards, he cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself, before he apparated outside at the first gate, in the courtyard and opened it. He did the same thing with the other two fences and left the gates wide open. The undead began to move inside the prison.

With the spells and charms cast all over the place, the prison gave off a sense of gloom and doom. It looked not only inhabitable, but also gave off quite the dangerous vibe. Harry returned back inside the courtyard and waited on the stairs, which were surrounded and protected by fences. He looked outside the road where Daryl and Oscar were expected to return. He could see several others on the upper bridges and the doors, either waiting for return of the two people or getting in position.

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait much longer and saw Daryl driving inside the prison. Harry apparated to a safe spot that was surrounded by closed up fences and free from the undead. He cancelled the charm over himself, opened the fence gate and let Daryl drive inside safely, before he closed it behind him.

"How did it go?" Harry asked immediately.

"Everything went fine," Oscar explained quickly, while Daryl pulled out his gun and crossbow from the back.

"Yeah," Daryl cut in. "Hermione cast the spells to protect them. All's good."

Harry sighed in relief and quickly briefed them in on what has been done around the prison and were they were expected to be. Harry also reminded them where he had cast the spells and which places to avoid, in order not to trigger the jinxes and curses. Afterwards, when all was said and done, Harry quickly cast the transfiguration spell around the safe area and turned the fences into a solid wall.

When he finished and turned around, he found Daryl waiting for him, with a nervous and worried look in his eyes.

"You be careful, alright?" Daryl said almost gently.

Harry took a moment to look at the man before him, and couldn't lose the feeling of worry for that man. He was honest to Merlin, deeply concerned about his safety. Even though Harry had seen him fight and knew that Daryl could defend himself, his own thoughts kept drifting towards the man. In the last weeks, Harry had gotten to know Daryl and the more he spend time with him, Harry began to feel… something he couldn't yet describe. They were friends, understood each other and had a closeness that was almost unfamiliar to him. Something he hadn't experienced with Hermione or Ron.

"You too, Daryl. Be careful," Harry finally said, which earned him a nod from the other man. After a moment, Daryl turned around went inside the building, to meet up with his brother on the bridge, where he was expected to be.

Harry sighed and soon heard someone shouting that the cars are coming. Harry took a deep breath and apparated inside the building right next to the entrance. He could already hear series gunfire going and explosion coming from outside.

Harry quickly cast a Bubble-Head Charm over his head, before he spilled a grey looking content from a potion bottle on the ground and just as Hermione had predicted, the liquid evaporated to a dense grey fume. Anyone who would breathe these fumes would begin to experience a heightened sense of fear and panic and the effect would take hours to wear off, without the antidote.

Another set of potions had been put in a number of flasks and had been given to several people, who would be able to use it. This potion would react like a muggle bomb, once the flask got broken. Hermione had placed a strengthening spell on the flask, to minimize any accidents. The flask would have to be thrown rather forcefully, to make it break. Harry had a few of them as well, just in case he would need it.

Harry waited patiently for the group to walk inside the prison building. Hermione had charmed all the other building with a muggle repelling spell, which would make all other entrances appear almost non-existing to them. Just in case, Hermione had also cast a locking spell at the doors.

The moment they would enter the prison and breath in the fumes, they would begin to feel the effect almost immediately. Forced to walk into one direction, the intruders become disoriented and faced with the complicated structure of the prison corridors, while they were led towards him.

Harry opened the cafeteria and looked at the transfigured and inanimate figures that had been created by Hermione and himself in the last few days. With the help of McGonagall and Hermione's quick understanding of the spells, as well as the mechanism of it, they were able to create a small army of undead in different shapes and forms. Most of them were wearing prison gear or some ripped clothes. Compared to the real undead, these transfigured version of them, wouldn't be killed by a headshot, nor were they infectious. They would bite, sound and act like real undead. Only with a spell would they be able to stop or after the time was up from the spell, which would be two hours, due to the materials and less magic in the objects. The transfigured undead were similar with the statues and suits of armors at Hogwarts. They weren't as strong as them, but it was enough to fight and scare the attackers.

Looking at them now, Harry had to agree that it was a pretty good idea, which had been Hermione's suggestion in the first place. After hearing from Merle how the Governor would use the undead for his own fights, Hermione saw it as a great form of payback.

Harry raised his wand at the inanimate undead figures and called, "_Piertortum Lovomotor!_" He watched as a dull green light flew at them in a massive single wave, going through each figure.

It was a spell, according to the Headmistress, that would animate the objects to act upon the casters wish of duty. He watched with a heavy beating heart, as each and every figures came to life and began to move forward by stumbled and slowly moved forward, groaning and snarling on their way as they walked past him.

It was an unnerving sight.

"Attack every intruder! Protect us! Fight till the end!" Harry called after them as he pointed his wand at the direction the group would come from.

It didn't take long for the screams to reach his ears, followed by a series of shots. Harry placed the Disillusionment Charm back on himself and held a shield in-front of him, before he followed the last animated undead in the same direction.

The alarms wailed through the entire prison, as soon as the screams and gun fire could be heard, setting off the signal to blare the alarm, which Axel was responsible for.

Upon seeing the group in the distance, Harry pulled out the bottled up potion and threw it closely to the people, hitting the ground and just as Hermione had told him the content exploded upon impact. More screams and shouts could be heard, as the panic and fear grew, but Harry didn't care. He began to throw one bottle after another in different directions, making the intruders disoriented and unable to pinpoint from where they were attacked. After Harry ran out of the explosive potions, he aimed his wand in direction of the group and cast a dense fog, making it more difficult to see anything.

Harry heard with a great sense of satisfaction, as the people shouted their retreat and the realization that the undead couldn't be killed. Harry quickly shot another spell at the entrance door, pushing it open and giving the intruders a way of escape. The light, coming from the open door, was all they needed to leave the place, by running out screaming.

The shooting continued outside and after Harry was sure that no one was left behind, he apparated next to Rick. He quickly cancelled the spell on himself, pulled out his gun and fired at the running people, hitting close by and on the ground. It was clear that no one really wanted to kill if it wasn't absolutely necessary and from what they had found out from Merle, many of the Governor's people hadn't had a clue with whom they were dealing with.

Harry tried to locate the Governor among the running people and undead, but before he could find them, they had all jumped to the cars and drove off.

Harry sighed in relief and grinned at Rick, who returned it with one of his own smiles and said, "It worked."

"Don't think they like it much here," Harry stated, which caused Rick to chuckle at his words.

Several others called all over the prison. Harry quickly cast his Patronus and sent it to Axel to stop the alarms, before he turned to Rick and said, "I'll secure the fences first and then clear out the prison. No one should go in there, until I clear it."

It was far from over, but right now, they needed to secure the facility, before they come up with another plan to end this madness, once and for all.

* * *

**30****th**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione **

With a relieved sigh, Hermione watched as the Governor and his group fled the prison. They could go back soon.

She was just about to go look for Jon, when suddenly, the wards triggered indicating that someone went through her wards. Hermione looked in the direction and called out towards Hershel, "Someone is coming."

For a moment she had wondered if Harry had apparated to get them, but the plan had been that Daryl would return them back to the prison, after it was safe again.

No sooner had she told Hershel about it, when someone walked into their small safe area. A teenager, not much older than Teddy. Carl, Hershel, and Russel aimed their gun at the child.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't shoot," he quickly said, while holding one hand up and the gun pointed down.

Hermione raised her wand and walked closer. The boy looked confused between them, especially with her wand pointed at him.

"Drop your weapon, son," Hershel immediately said.

"Sure. Here. Take it." he assured and went to put it down on the ground.

Hermione watched intently, as she took another step closer to the boy, while Carl still aimed his gun at the boy, wearing a cold determination that sent chills through her.

"Carl," Hermione spoke calmly, "I've got this. Put your gun down."

But Carl didn't move and when Hermione looked at him, she could see the determination in his eyes. Hermione swiftly cast a _Stupefy_ spell at the teenager, hitting him straight in the chest, which made him fall unconsciously to the ground, just as Carl pulled the trigger.

Hermione swiftly turned around and disarmed Carl, before she rushed towards the fallen boy. She sighed in relief when he was just unconscious due to her spell and not shot down by Carl.

She turned around when she heard the pull of a gun and was met with Carl pointing his gun at them. Hermione was shocked, as were everyone around them. She looked into Carl's eyes steadily, while she shielded the body of the unmoving boy.

"Carl, what are you doing?" Hershel spoke not hiding his disbelieve.

"I-I have to do this. He is a danger to us. He will kill us," Carl argued.

"He won't, Carl," Hermione spoke calmly. "Remember when I went with Daryl earlier? I placed wards around this area to protect us from everyone who wishes us harm. Only someone that doesn't want to hurt us, would be able to cross through the magic. Anyone else would immediately be injured and unable to even walk. This boy walked through, uninjured."

Carl still didn't react or seemed to hear her. Hermione noted Teddy getting closer, looking panicked and angry, but Beth held him back.

"Don't you see? He ran away from his group, Carl," Hermione continued. "Someone dangerous made him believe that we are the bad guys here. Try to see it from his view, Carl. One day someone broke into their place, attacked them and in consequence people died. The Governor made us responsible and this boy believed him, just like the majority of Woodbury… His only guilt was to believe and trust in the wrong leader."

Carl began to look unsure, but still held his weapon at Hermione's direction.

"Do you want to kill me?" Hermione suddenly asked in the same calming voice, shocking Carl.

"What? No! I-I- I just…"

"Because this will be the only way to get to him, Carl. By murdering me," Hermione stated and she could see that she finally got through Carl. "Defending and protecting themselves, as well as others, is different from killing someone in cold blood. You are not a murderer, Carl."

Carl began to shake, as he shook his head in denial and dropped his gun to the side, until it fell to the ground. Hermione quickly stood up and walked towards Carl and pulled his shaking form into a tight hug. As soon as her arms were around him, Carl began to cry. Hermione's own heart was racing furiously, as she tried to appear calm and collected.

"Shh… it's ok. Nothing happened… everything will be fine," Hermione spoke calmly and rubbed his back gently, while she glanced at the others. Everyone looked equally shaken at the disaster that almost happened. Teddy was held by Beth, while Hershel put a hand on his shoulder. Russel looked completely gobsmacked and Hermione internally groaned, aware to have revealed her magic to another muggle. She would have to take care of it, but it could wait for now.

* * *

**30****th ****May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Harry**

Several people waited with him at the courtyard, while Daryl, Oscar and Tyreese went to get Hermione and the others. The addition was only there because Tyreese wanted to help as much as he could. He was a great guy, Harry could tell. They still needed to clean up the place, well, mostly Harry did, due to the magical nature of it. First he closed the three prison fences, before they all together killed the remaining undead and removed with another spell. Afterwards he had vanished the transfigured undead, who had stood aside, after Harry had cast the command and rendered them motionless, once the Governor and his group left.

Once Daryl left with Oscar and Tyreese, he went back inside the prison building and removed as well as cleaned all trace of the dangerous potion fumes, gun bullets and put everything back the way it had been. It had taken him a fraction of the time he had needed to set up all these spells and traps.

Harry was finished just in time, when he walked out and saw the familiar cars heading their way. He exhaled in relief and walked close to open the wards and gate to let them in. As soon as the cars drove into the courtyard, Harry walked towards the one where Teddy, Hermione and Jon were. The car had barely stopped, when Harry quickly opened the door of the backseat and pulled his son into a hug.

He immediately noted the tension in the teenager, as he returned the embrace. Believing that it had something to do with the attack on the prison, Harry began to assure him that everything was fine now. Teddy only nodded and wouldn't meet his eyes. He was about to ask him if everything was all right, when Daryl called Rick and Harry over. Even Hermione appeared to be tense and the smile she gave him, looked more forced than believable. He wanted to ask Hermione what's going on, but Hermione just shook his head and told him that they would talk later.

Harry frowned at the strange behavior and simply nodded in the end, before he rushed towards Daryl and found an unconscious boy in the backseat in the car Oscar had driven back. It took Harry completely by surprise, seeing the boy lying there.

"Hermione did some magic on the kid. Knocked him out cold. Did some more magic on Russ, erased his memory of what he saw. He's in the other car," Daryl explained.

"Yeah, said, that Russ will be a little disoriented for a while, but all's good, she said," Oscar continued, to which Harry could only nod, not able to mask his surprise at what he heard.

Harry quickly looked for Hermione and saw her walking inside followed by Teddy while she carried Jon in her arms. Carl tried to avoid everyone as he stood a little further away from Beth, who held the baby in her arms. Glenn and Maggie were the closest to them and ushered them inside. Harry frowned at the whole display. Something was definitely off.

He wanted to go and investigate and talk to Hermione, but right now, his help was needed, and together with the other three men, Harry helped them get Russel and the new kid inside. They placed them in the other cell block and closed the door behind the unconscious boy. The spell wouldn't hurt him and he needed to talk to Hermione first, find out what happened, before he did anything.

As Harry walked back, he saw Rick hugging his son. Hershel stood behind Carl silently wearing the same worried and closed off look he had seen on Teddy. Harry quickly crossed the distance between them and heard Carl say, "Dad, I… I think I'm not ready yet."

Rick frowned and stood up, looking confused at his son. "Did something happen?"

Carl looked away before he took off.

"Carl?"

The father was about to go after him, when Hershel stopped him, "Let him, Rick."

Rick turned around at Hershel, just as Harry reached them and asked, "What the bloody hell happened out there?"

Hershel shook his head and explained, "A kid stumbled across us, went through Hermione's wards, which she had placed around us. She said only someone who wouldn't wish to harm us would be able to pass through." Hershel exhaled heavily for a moment and then continued, not able to hide the emotions that were clearly still running through him, "The kid was scared. He was handing his gun over, but Carl… he was determined. Hermione quickly did a spell on the boy, made him unconscious, but Carl still shot. He missed. Hermione then made Carl's gun fly out of his hand and she went to check on the boy. Before any of us could even react, Carl had his gun back in his hand and… aimed it at the kid and Hermione."

Harry sucked in his breath in shock and hissed angrily, "He did what?"

Hershel glanced at him and back at Rick, who had lost all color, as he went on, "Carl believed that he was protecting us. The kid didn't pose any danger. He was scared… Hermione shielded the boy with her body, talked Carl off from killing the boy and her."

Rick shook his head in denial. "Maybe he saw reason. Maybe- maybe he saw something? Drew his weapon?"

Harry could see that Rick was grasping at straws, but Hershel only shook his head.

"I was there," Hershel continued, "Hermione was right next to Carl. The boy didn't draw and Hermione had the situation under control and yet Carl still fired. If it hadn't been for Hermione, Carl would have gunned the kid down."

Hershel left after that leaving Harry and Rick behind. Harry stood frozen on the spot, unable to comprehend what had happened and almost did happen. He didn't know what to feel, and do. If Carl had been an adult he would have punched him hard and made it clear what would happen if he went out of line again, but since Carl was a kid, a year younger than even Teddy, Harry didn't know what to do or say. From what Hershel had described, Carl had good intentions, but lost control by not knowing what to do or knowing what was right or wrong.

Harry looked at Rick, who looked heartbroken at the information. He didn't even want to imagine if someone had told him this about Teddy.

He took a deep breath and said to Rick, "You need to talk to your son, Rick. Make him see… you need to talk to him."

Harry walked away before Rick could say anything. He went towards Hermione's cell room where she was with Jon and Teddy. Now everything, their behavior, made sense.

Teddy sat silently on the bed next to Hermione with Jon in her lap, as she gently stroked the toddler's dark hair. Harry slowly walked in and as Hermione looked up to him, her eyes began to tear up, before she looked away. She probably knew that he had found out what happened.

Harry was about to speak up, when Hermione cut him off and ask, "Did everything go well? I mean, is anyone hurt?"

Knowing Hermione, he figured that this was her way to avoid the topic. He went along for now and informed her of what happened during the attack and how well their transfigured undead figures worked out. Teddy had been curious about them in the beginning, even though they were bloody creepy, according to him, but now, he barely paid attention, as he looked at Jon, watched him play with a magical flubber toy, that would slide around his hands, until he caught it.

He knew he had to leave, when Daryl looked from a little distance at him and motioned for him to come outside. They still had to end this. Hermione looked up at him worriedly. She gently placed Jon on the bed next to Teddy and basically threw herself at Harry, hugging him tightly.

"Be careful, Harry," Hermione whispered in a shaky voice.

"I will, don't worry," he assured her and dropped his voice, as he added, "We will talk about what happened later, alright?"

Hermione only nodded in his arms and then let go, after a moment. Teddy was next to hug him, while he still didn't say anything. Jon joined in later, all smiling and kissing him on the cheek, not aware of the tension in the room. With one last smile at his small family, he walked out and followed Daryl.

"Y'all right?"

Harry glanced at Daryl and shook his head. "Can wait later," was all he said, to which Daryl nodded in return.

As they walked out, almost everyone had been at the courtyard, pulling guns and weapons inside the cars. Ready to head to Woodbury.

Merle, Daryl, Rick, Glenn, Maggie, Michonne, Tyreese and he himself would go and finished what that raving lunatic had started. Everyone else would stay behind and guard the prison.

Just as he was about to go in a car, he saw Rick kneeling down in front of his son. He couldn't hear what was said. Only saw how Rick talked to him intently, while Carl listened and nodded at his father, before he walked inside. Rick didn't look better after his son had left. He picked something up, before he stood up and walked back towards the group.

Before he could say anything, Glenn spoke up, "Rick, we're staying." He glanced at Maggie, who stood next to him. "We don't know where the Governor is. Even with the wards Harry had placed on the fences, it would still need someone guarding it. The others aren't as well trained as Maggie and I… If he comes back, we'll hold him off."

"Just the six of us? All right." Daryl concluded and pointed at the other people who stood outside.

Rick already nodded, accepting Glenn's words, as he said, "I appreciate you staying."

It had surprised Harry a little, since Glenn had been so hell bent on killing the Governor for what he did. Harry nodded at them both before he followed Daryl into the car, sitting on the passenger seat and his brother right behind them, while Rick, Michonne and Tyreese took the other car. Daryl wanted to go with his bike, but it would have given them away instantly.

Glenn had opened the first gate, letting the cars drive through. Harry apparated from within the car outside the second gate and opened it letting them through, before he did with the same on the main gate, after opening the ward. He waited until all the cars went through, before he closed the gates with a quick wave of his wand and closed down the ward. Once it was finished, Harry quickly apparated back inside the passenger seat, next to Daryl, who had waited on him. Daryl looked at Harry with wide eyes, as he drove off again and muttered, "Damn!"

They remained silent and took the lead. Merle directed them to the route the Governor would have most definitely had taken.

Almost ten minutes later, they spotted the military vehicle and Daryl pulled the window down, giving Rick the signal that they had found them. Daryl parked the car a little away, with Rick right behind him, as everyone walked out.

"Holy shit!" Merle exclaimed shocked as he looked at every undead that looked newly turned and the unmoving bodies that either were dead or in the verge of turning. "Tha' crazy motherfucker killed them all?!"

Harry's eyes widened as he looked around. He hadn't known any of the people from Woodbury, nor did he had a clear view of them. For a moment, he had thought that maybe the cars had maybe lost fuel or had broken down on the road and stopped here. But seeing all these people who had been alive over an hour ago, sent a cold shiver down his spine.

Harry pulled out his wand and quickly cast a strong _Homenum Revelio_ spell at the area, covering the whole field and over the cars, where it detected a living person inside a car.

"Someone is in there," Harry explained. Daryl was the first to react and quickly aimed his crossbow at the said vehicle. Everyone walked closer to it, while they killed every nearing undead around them, without using guns. Harry quickly cast cutting hexes at the head of undead and anyone lying unmoving on the ground. As did Michonne with her katana sword. Together they finished them off quickly.

Rick went to open the door, after a loud banging came from the car. Harry moved closer and saw a woman inside. Rick went to open it, while the others aimed their gun at the door. Harry quickly put his wand away and replaced it with his gun, waiting to see, if he would need to use it.

The woman instantly stumbled out of the car, looking scared and shaken at everyone. Michonne went to frisk her and said, "She's clear."

"What happened here?"

The woman shook her head and explained after finding her voice, "The Governor- Everyone was upset and we didn't want to fight. Many of us didn't… The Governor then- he just fired off everyone… He… killed them all… without any reason. I-I've never seen him like this… He went just… mad."

"Do you know where he went?" Harry asked.

The woman looked at him confused for a moment, before she shook her head. "I-I don't know. I… I think he went this way. Maybe back to Woodbury?"

Harry walked towards Rick and whispered into his ear, "I will take my broom and see where he went. Maybe I can spot his car from above."

Rick thought for a moment and said, "Be careful."

Harry nodded in return before he jogged back from the directed they had come from and as soon as he was out of eyeshot, he swiftly apparated into his prison cell room that he shared with Teddy. Fortunately, no one was there when he arrived, not wanting to explain yet what happened. He quickly grabbed his backpack, broom and apparated back to the road side he came from. Daryl had been close by and looked up as soon as Harry appeared with a with a crack. Daryl looked up immediately and met Harry's eyes. He nodded at the wizard, which he turned, before Harry cast a _Disillusionment Charm_ over himself and took off flying. He flew over the area the woman had described.

The sun began to set, when he spotted a little bonfire, at the end of a field. The other two people with the Governor began to set up their camp site. Harry recognized the area. It was the same field side he had seen over the satellite footage back at Fort Polk, when they had lost the signal to Hermione, Walter and the military group.

It was somehow poetic or even ironic that the Governor would choose a spot like this to hide now. The same place where it all had begun and where it would end today.

Harry still recalled the scene of death, the way they were scattered around like trash. Even now, there were still body parts rotting at random places, around the field. A lower half of a body, arms and legs, ripped and bloodied military uniforms lay everywhere. The sight only fueled his rage as he hovered on his broom, magically concealed from anyone.

All Harry could think about was that it had been _his_ fault, this bloody fucking bastard, who sat there as if he had no care in the world. It was _his_ fault that all these men had died that day and Harry had almost lost his own family in the process. All these innocent people and today that bastard continued with the slaughter. It was unforgivable.

But what he did to Hermione, for that he would pay.

Harry silently landed at the far side of the field. The three men instantly turned in his direction, when they heard a branch break, but not seeing who or what was there. Harry barely spared them a thought as his rage began to grow inside him. He swiftly cast two quick _Secumsepra_ spells at both men, who fell immediately to the ground. The Governor raised his weapon in his direction and began to shoot, but Harry had already raised his shield the moment he saw the Governor pull up his gun. The bullets hit the shield and fell to the ground, while Harry slowly walked towards him.

"WHO IS THERE?" the Governor shouted and looked frantically around.

Harry could almost see the fear in his one remaining eye, but that didn't stop Harry. On the contrary, it fueled him on.

The Governor shot in various directions, not aware that Harry was walking slowly past the two lying bodies of his henchmen. Harry barely spared them a glance, as they bled to death. An odd sense of satisfaction began to spread in his chest seeing them this way. They had deserved more, but Harry's main target stood before him and he wouldn't waste his time with the others.

Harry cancelled the Disillusionment Charm on himself and the Governor's remaining eye widened in disbelief and shock, but he quickly raised his weapon back at Harry. The wizard barely moved his wand and disarmed the Governor silently, letting the gun fly a few feet away.

The Governor paled dramatically and Harry could see the raw terror display on his face, which encouraged him to continue and move closer to his target. He was the hunter cornering his prey for the final kill.

The man spoke up suddenly, while he took several steps back, trying foolishly to get some distance between them, "I though I must have been seen things… thought those strange lights were some weapons your group possessed, but it was you, wasn't it? You did that, back at the prison."

Harry didn't say anything and took another step closer.

"I'm- I'm sure we can work something out. I can help you, have resources, a town."

Harry sneered at the man, baring his teeth in disgust, which must have been a frightening sight, as the Governor suddenly asked, "What are you?"

"Your walking nightmare," Harry growled hatefully.

"Wait, wait! You are British too? Are you- I just wanted to help! Give her some place to work and create the-"

"THAT'S WHY YOU TORTURED HER, YOU BASTARD!? TO HELP?" Harry shouted and cast a nonverbal spell at him that threw him hard to the ground.

"I- I wasn't thinking-" the man moaned in pain.

"SHUT UP!" Harry shouted as he rushed forward, while the Governor tried to stand up and as soon as Harry reached him he pointed his wand under his throat.

"You don't know with whom you have messed with, you pathetic creature," Harry hissed furiously. His whole body began to shake in rage and he could feel his magic crack around him. Never in his whole life did he feel so much hatred towards someone. Maybe it was to blame on the constant chaos, danger, the constant death he was surrounded with, the fear and helplessness he had felt when Hermione was kidnapped, almost lost her and his sons. Almost lost his whole family and every feeling, all his anger, fear and fury were to blame on this one man.

Harry sat on the man's chest with his legs on his side of him, holding him on the ground, but the Governor began to struggle tried to hit him and push him away. He was strong, Harry had to admit, but he was stronger. Harry quickly dropped his wand and punched the man twice in the face, before he ducked the hit he tried to land on him. Blood burst from the Governor's nose and lip and Harry wanted to see more of it. Wanted to make him bleed to death. He wanted to taste his fear, when he realized that this would be his end.

"You will pay for what you have done," Harry spoke calmly, as he landed another punch on his face. He stumbled a few steps back and fell to the ground. Harry slowly walked towards him, as he regained his footing and tried to hit Harry, who swiftly dodged his attempted assault. Harry quickly punched him in the face twice, which sent him sprawling on the ground a little bit away. Harry looked down on the bruised and bleeding man, watching him try to stand up.

"I will make you suffer, feel pain beyond your imagination and I won't stop then," Harry vowed, feeling the rage growing inside him, before he closed the distance in two strides and immobilized the Governor again with his body. Harry quickly punched and kicked the man harder, blocking any of the Governor's attempt to fight back. He was no match for Harry, who had one of the most extensive and hardest Auror training that had been out there, as military combat, which he got, while staying at Fort Polk. The Governor didn't stand a chance against him and this knowledge only pleasured him further. Knowing that this man was completely at his mercy, which he wouldn't get.

Instead, he would begin to pay.

Harry laid three hard blows on his rib-cage. Hearing the telltale sign of a broken bone, made Harry almost smile, especially, when the man beneath him cried in pain and still, the bastard deserved more. Harry broke another rib on the other side, and watched with glee the pain across the face of the Governor. By now, he had broken several ribs, just like the Governor had done to Hermione. But it wasn't enough.

"I won't even use my magic. Not yet anyway," Harry continued and stood up, looking down on him. Harry watched the Governor getting back on his feet, trying to walk away, while holding with one arm his chest.

He had to give it to the Governor, who didn't appear to want to give up, which only enticed and excited Harry further.

Harry apparated the short distance between them, which startled the Governor and before the man could react or protect himself, Harry quickly punched hard, sending him back on the ground. The man grunted and gasped for air. It should have made Harry feel guilty, but he just couldn't. He recalled the way Hermione couldn't breath, due to the broken ribs and her injuries. She had almost died that day. If he had arrived just a few minutes later, he didn't believe that Hermione would have survived an experiment that would have weakened her body more. He would have lost his only remaining best friend, his sister, the only one he always could count on.

The thought of loosing Hermione only enraged Harry pushed further, as he put his knee on the Governor's chest, right where the broken ribs were. The man's scream, sent Harry's heart racing in malicious glee. He needed more. Wanted more.

"I will make you beg… scream… cry for mercy," Harry taunted with a twisted pleasure and smile on his face, as he grabbed his hand while he immobilized his other hand with wandless and nonverbal magic, and began to break the fingers one by one. Not letting any of them intact. He pushed a little magic in his hand as he did so and watched with a growing dark pleasure as the man's face turn into agony, while his screams ringed in Harry's ear.

After breaking all the finger in the left hand and was about to move to the other, the Governor turned towards Harry and glared at him with the same hate, Harry felt. The bastard sneered at the Harry and said, "I won't beg you for mercy!" He stopped and then chuckled. Actually, chuckled at Harry and continued, "Your… Your little girlfriend, oh she was fierce."

Harry stopped what he was doing and listened to him. He didn't know why the Governor thought taunting him was a smart idea, but he wasn't known to be rational.

"Never begged me to stop. I think she enjoyed my attention… oh, she was my favorite… The things I've wanted to do to her-"

Harry saw red and roared in rage as he jumped on the man on the ground and punched him rapidly. A dark murderous rage came over him. He let it consume him, control him. Harry wanted him to scream, beg, cry, suffer and put him in unimaginable pain. Worse than he did to Hermione, to all the innocent people he had murdered.

Harry put his hand on his chest and hissed a dark curse, which he had heard from his days back as a field Auror from a dark wizard. It boiled the blood in the body, or more accurately, it gave the impression of it. A phantom pain of boiling blood. Not a fatal curse, but just as painful as the Cruciato Curse.

The Governor screamed as soon as the spell left his lips and Harry relished in the sound that spread around the field. He wanted everyone to hear it the Governor's pain and agony.

Harry stopped the spell and continued with something easier, by breaking his legs and all the fingers on the other healthy hand with a few more spells pushed through his own hands. The Governor whimpered and cried, but it wasn't enough. Harry needed more. Wanted more. A growing hunger that doesn't feel sated.

"Please stop!" he finally begged, but it wasn't enough and he quickly _Accio-_ed his wand back into his hand.

"Why? I just started, Governor," Harry responded in mock confusion. He wouldn't let the Governor get his death anytime soon.

Without thinking and consumed by his dark thirst to cause more pain, he lifted his wand and grabbed the Governor's left forearm and just below the elbow, Harry cast a strong cutting hex, and the limp fell away. By now, the Governor howled in agony and Harry relished the sound. It was the sweetest thing he ever heard, sending a warm shiver through his body. Harry quickly stopped the blood flow by burning the stump, not wanting him to die that easily.

The Governor tried to grab his shirt with his broken still intact arm. Harry barely paid any attention to it, not until a silvery amulet dangled in-front of him. The faint light of the sunset glimpsed the engraved names of his family as it moved and then reality came crashing back.

The red haze of blood lust was gone, only left with the growing darkness within him. Harry couldn't breath as he stood up and stumbled away from the body on the ground. Mutilated, broken and bloodied, barely recognizable.

Harry took several deep breaths, trying to force himself to calm down and stop the need inside of him. He lifted his hands to touch his hair, a nervous tick, when he noticed all the blood on him. He quickly cast a _Scourgify_ spell on himself and removed all trace of blood. His body still shook in anticipation and the need to continue, with what he had begun, but a part of him, knew he needed to stop, before it would change him. He could already feel the darkness, the taint slowly growing inside him, changing his magic. Making it sharper, unforgiving and more dangerous than ever before. It was tempting to just give in, but he couldn't do it. He couldn't let it change him and turn him into another Governor, Bellatrix or even Voldemort, because he knew, if he didn't stop right now, there wouldn't be a way to turn back.

A sudden familiar moan on the other side caught his attention and he could see the Latin man he had killed previously began to return back to life. He would let the undead finish off what he had begun. It wasn't something he had envisioned to end and kill the Governor, but in a way, it was more fitting. He would get what he deserved, in the end.

With one last disgusted glance at the man on the ground, Harry turned around and walked away.

"N-NO!" the Governor shouted in desperation. "KILL ME! PLEASE!"

Harry forced himself to go and not turn back to watch the undead eat the Governor. The little silver lining he had grasped on, was already slipping away and he needed to go, as soon as possible, before he decided to watch and let the little control he had over himself slip away.

The Governor screamed and called for him to end him, but Harry refused to acknowledge him. He magically pushed the Latin man, now undead, away from him, and his attention was quickly on the man on the ground. The undead snarled and snapped his teeth at the broken man.

Harry quickly grabbed his broom on the ground with shaking hands and mounted it, forcing himself not to look back, when the screams became louder. It was almost dark, when he took off. He cast a quick _Disillusionment Charm_ on himself and flew towards Woodbury, while he constantly reminded himself that it was over. That the Governor was finally gone.

It was over.

* * *

**31****st**** May 2012, West Georgia Correctional Facility, Newnan, Georgia, USA**

**Hermione**

Hermione sat on the upper level, at the prison bridge. It gave her a clear view of the main gate. She had been there shortly after the Teddy went to bed.

After today's event, Hermione had given him and even Carl a Calming Draught and a Dreamless Sleep Potion. Hermione sighed when she recalled that both boys took their distance from each other. Each of them for a different reason. After almost two hours of this, while cleaning and removing the spells Harry didn't cancel or had missed, Hermione had taken both boys to the side and talked to them.

Carl apologized to Hermione, explained again why he thought he needed to do it, and Hermione soothed the boys mind by telling him that she understood. What she didn't tell him was that she believed that his rash behavior was also due to the fact that he didn't participate in the fight at the prison. Hermione believed that it was his way to prove to his father that he was ready, brave and able to protect those he cared for. She would voice this out to Rick and hopefully they could find a solution before irrevocable mistakes could be made.

Teddy had been more hesitant to forgive Carl, but after listening to Carl's reasonings and expressed how sorry he felt about the whole thing, Teddy simply stated that next time he held a gun at his aunt, he would bite him and curse his ass. Hermione had been tempted to scold him for his use of words, but bit her lip when he saw that both boys came to an understanding. They would still need time to build back the trust, but it wasn't a hopeless cause.

"Can't sleep?" a voice suddenly said, which made Hermione quickly turn around. Maggie stood at the door and smiled at Hermione, which she gently returned.

Hermione simply shrugged in the end and said, "I'm worried. Won't be able to rest, not until Harry and the others are safely back."

It was something she couldn't do. Even when they were still at Fort Polk Military Base, Hermione couldn't rest when Harry was still out there. Not knowing if he was all right or injured had kept her up all night. Soon enough, she had forfeited even attempting to rest, not until Harry was back. Sometimes, it drove her crazy if it took longer than usual, and they had been in contact with the group. Now, it felt worse. She couldn't call on Harry or send a Patronus without risking of endangering him in the process. She hoped that he would be able to send her a Patronus and tell her that things were alright. Hermione scolded herself for not thinking of another way to communicate with him. She should have thought of giving him something like the DA coins to keep in touch, but things had gone so fast in the last 24 hours that it never crossed her mind.

"I know what you mean," Maggie said and sat next to her, on the large conjured pillow. "But they will be ok. They are strong together."

Hermione could only nod in return and she silently prayed to any deity that was still there that she was right about it. She didn't want to voice out her fears for the group, knowing that it would make the situation even more worse. Instead, Hermione focused on the welcoming distraction and after a moment of silence, she held a Thermos bottle, that was charmed to stay warm and asked Maggie, "Would you like some coffee?"

Maggie's eyes lit up with delight and she quickly accepted the offer. Hermione laughed lightly at the expression on the other woman's face, when she drank from the dark brew she'd made earlier.

Both had remained quiet afterwards, watched the gates and rare peacefulness the night bestowed. Well, despite the handful of undead that had come from the woods, surrounding the outside prison fence. Several of them had already began to leave, when they saw no movements inside or prey to hunt.

"Do you think, everything will go back to normal, once your serum is produced?" Maggie asked thoughtfully.

"I've been asking myself the same thing," Hermione admitted after a moment. "Will the everything be the same again, as it once had been? I don't think so. The world had been build for a large population and there isn't a fraction of that there anymore.

"People will be afraid and worried to repopulate even after having been cured. The psychological damage and trauma will take years to find a way to handle. I don't think that anyone will be the same again. Paranoia, distrust, fear will be a constant part of many people for a long time and who could blame them? It's chaos out there. There is no part of the world that hasn't been affected by this disease.

"But people are still fighting and surviving all over the world. It's not just here. There is still hope for all of us. There are still good people out there, who still believe in a chance to survive and live through all this… I think, despite all the damage, death and destruction, there is still a chance to have a new beginning…We can build something new again. Maybe even something stronger."

Maggie nodded, but didn't say anything. Instead, both watched the clear dark sky that was lightened up with stars. Hermione believed in what she said. There was still a way to save the world and build a new one.

"I know you said that the military base from where you came from would send some people to get you to Washington," Maggie began, which made Hermione look at the taller woman. "And well, I wanted to just say that, if something should go wrong, Glenn and I would help you get to Washington. I'm sure he would help and probably a few others too," Maggie paused and smile fondly, as she continued. "Glenn is really smart with finding safe ways to travel. Never met anyone like him."

Hermione was surprised and touched by the woman, she had come to befriend. "Thank you, Maggie," Hermione finally replied after finding her voice. She had really not expected that offer. "But I'm sure that won't be necessary, but thank you anyway."

Maggie simply nodded and said, "Nowadays, you can't be sure of anything. The offer still stands though."

Hermione smiled at Maggie and thanked her again, before both talked soon about random things, from the people in the group, the magical world and their own lives before the dean began to walk. Sitting here and having a normal conversation gave a glimpse of their long forgotten lives.

At some point, Glenn had shown, when he was finished with his rounds and asked, "Mind if I joined you ladies?"

Hermione smiled and gestured for him come and join them. She could see that he was still shy around her and Hermione couldn't help but tease the young Asian man about his cute behavior, which caused Maggie laugh on her fiancé's behalf. It broke the ice, in the end. Especially, when Hermione asked how they had met and became a couple. It had a sad beginning, about Carol's daughter going missing and her death, but Glenn took over and described and confessed quite adorably the first time he had met Maggie and how much a bumbling mess he was.

Hermione could see the love between these two people and she was truly happy for them both. Finding love and happiness in these days was rare and the way both spoke of each other, their feelings were equally met. Hermione quietly watched the pair as they bantered and teased each other, while she thought of a way to give them a wedding gift that would be both useful and unique for Maggie and Glenn.

Later, the conversation shifted back to Hermione. Glenn began to be at ease in the witch's presence and Hermione told them how she had found out about the magical world, the Hogwarts Letter, her experience and life at Hogwarts, until the end of the war, which sobered the mood a bit. It took her hours to tell the tale and explain certain magical facts, but she was grateful for being distracted and not giving the opportunity to keep worrying about the others. Hermione could see that Maggie and Glenn had been captivated in the story of Harry, Ron and herself.

When dawn broke, Glenn told them that he would make another round on the perimeters, before everyone else woke up. Hermione and Maggie stayed where they were and watched the sunrise, while trying not get anxious for the absence of Harry, Rick and the others.

She knew she should go back in. Jon would be up soon, and even with Teddy, who decided to stay with him for the night, Jon would be upset if she wasn't there. Hermione slowly stood up and looked worriedly at the front gate.

"I'll let you know, as soon as I see them," Maggie assured her. Hermione smiled at her gratefully and thanked the young woman, before she walked inside.

Several people were still asleep, but Carol had been up with Judith, feeding the little baby. Hermione greeted her quietly as she walked inside her own cell room, where she found Jon sprawled all over Teddy. It was such an adorable sight that Hermione bit her lip and stopped herself from laughing. Carol, who passed their cell room, simply smiled at the two of them.

After a moment of simply watching and enjoying the peaceful moment, Jon began to stir and his movement began to wake up Teddy as well. Jon was the first one who slowly opened his eyes and yawned widely.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Hermione greeted Jon quietly, which earned her a toothy smile from her son. Hermione quickly, but gently picked Jon up, before he could wake up Teddy. She walked with him out and went next to Carol, as she went through Jon's morning ritual, and gave him his breakfast. It consisted of a slice of bread spread with jam, a sliced apple and a light flavored water that tasted like apple juice. She talked with Carol quietly, when the others in their cell-block began to slowly wake up.

Teddy came out of the prison cell, when Jon finished his breakfast. The teenager looked instantly alert and worried when he spotted Hermione, but not Harry or the others.

"Dad is still not back?" Teddy asked anxiously, just as Carl walked out of his own cell room.

Hermione shook her and spoke in a calm voice, "No one returned yet. I'm sure everything is alright. They should be back soon. You should get ready for the day, Teddy. Carl you too."

Both teenagers nodded at her words, and went on autopilot as they began to get ready for the day. She could tell that both boys were quite worried about the information. Hermione and Carol had tried to offer the two boys a breakfast, but both refused, stating that they weren't hungry yet. Hermione didn't push it and let it go for now.

Suddenly, Maggie jogged in and called out, "They're back!"

Everyone quickly rushed out, Hermione gently put Jon on her hip and carried him out, as she followed them. Just as they walked out of the building, Hermione saw Glenn jogging to the main gate with Axel in tow. A familiar light hit the gate, which let the two men open the gate, as it disabled the wards and let them in. Teddy and Carl stood close by, looking visibly more relieved than moments ago.

Hermione instantly noticed that beside the two cars, a large school bus drove right behind them and she quickly figured out what it could mean.

Harry walked out of the car, as soon as it stopped, followed by Daryl and Merle Hermione sighed in relief and watched with a smile as Teddy rushed towards his father and hugged him tightly, which Harry returned with a moment of hesitation. Hermione frowned at the uncharacteristic behavior but brushed it off, she reasoned that he was probably tired and was probably startled by the sudden hug.

Hermione quickly joined them and pulled him into a tight embrace, with Jon in her arms. "I'm so glad that you all are all right, Harry," Hermione said and looked him in the face. She had expected a little smile and that he would tell her that she worried too much, but he kept quiet and only nodded in return. Hermione frowned in confusion and worry. She knew Harry for decades now and knew when something wasn't right with her best friend. She had never seen him act this way.

Harry must have noted the worried expression on her face, when he explained, "When we followed them, the… _he_ massacred his people, those who went to attack us, because they refused to fight for him any longer."

Hermione gasped in horror and Teddy looked deadly pale, but Harry continued, "Only one had survived… At Woodbury we got easily in and the Governor had tied Andrea, the one who came here after the first attack on the prison, this Milton guy," at Hermione's nod he went on, "He tied her on a chair, before he left to attack us and killed Milton… and left him in the room with her… and well… it was too late for us to save her… We decided to tell everyone what their leader truly did. Afterwards, Rick offered them refuge here with us."

Hermione nodded unable to find the words of what to say, but Teddy took over and began to ask, "Is- Is the Governor-"

"It's over. It's… over," Teddy nodded next to him and didn't hide the relief he felt, which Hermione shared. She wanted to exclaimed her relief when she noted the haunted look in Harry's eyes. She didn't want to imagine the horror he must have seen and witnessed, therefore, she didn't ask how or who killed the Governor, in the end. Hermione was sure that it was Harry who did it, or maybe Rick. She didn't need to know the details. All that mattered was that they were here and safe.

Hermione hugged Harry one more time and said, "I'm just glad that you all are safe, Harry."

He just nodded silently in return and with a small smile he went to help Daryl set everything up. Teddy followed him, saying he wanted to help. She watched them go and still felt a sense of worry, a nagging feeling that something wasn't right with her best friend. Carl suddenly joined them as well, after talking to Rick, and walked beside Teddy. She saw Harry glance at the boy with the hat, but otherwise stayed silent, as the two boys talked to each other.

"Mama, ouuk!" Jon spoke and pointed at the people coming from the bus. She gently rubbed his back and talked softly with her son, as she walked to Rick, who stood alone and watched everything, probably to keep an eye on things.

She placed her hand on his arm, when he didn't notice her standing next to him. Hermione smiled at him, as he looked at her, "You did the right thing, Rick."

Rick nodded silently and smiled in return. For a moment, both just looked at each other, smiling and relishing the peacefulness of the morning. Because, right now, in this very moment, everything was looking up again.

* * *

A/N: This is the official end of Season 3 (Finally!)

Told you, it was creepy… and I creeped myself out while writing it and editing it. Felt like an UnSub from Criminal Minds (LOL)… and I crept uoduck out as well, Sorry?!

So, how did you like it? What did you think of the dark Harry? The prison battle?

Anyway, I have a good and bad news. The bad news… I will have to take a break from this story to write ahead again. I'm really sorry about that, but this story is really long, with lots of details and I write over 10K each chapter, then there is the editing part to it, as well as the beta editing and these things do take time. I'll try to hurry and hopefully in 3 weeks, the story will continue again… and then we will get to the romance part of it! I'm totally excited about it! :D

Now the good news… I have a new Walking Dead/Harry Potter Crossover! It's completed, has 10 chapters and is under the final editing phase. The story will be different from this one... mainly because the pairing will be Hermione/Daryl… yep, you've read it right. It will also feature other HP characters. How I've come up with this story you might ask… well, I wanted to try something completely new, entirely different and give myself a new challenge and I love the story. I think the pairing works pretty good… and well, if you like or are intrigued by the idea of Hermione/Daryl… give it a shot. The story is called "The Weight of My Heart", will be up on Saturday and if the editing goes as planned, I will post it twice a week, until it's completed.


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